Violinist Maria Puusaari is known as a contemporary music activist, especially from the Uusinta Ensemble and Uusinta String Quartet. She has commissioned and premiered many new works and performed at numerous festivals and concert series throughout Europe and the United States. Puusaari also regularly teaches both composers and musicians in contemporary music workshops in Finland and abroad. Puusaari is currently working on her doctoral degree at the Sibelius Academy of Music at the Arts University Helsinki on the topic of leading practices in contemporary music. In 2019-2022, she was the artistic director of the Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu festival in Oulu.

Puusaari is also a member of the Finnish Soloists’ Association and an active chamber musician, performing older repertoire both in her own recitals and in varied chamber music ensembles. Puusaari has recorded solo works and chamber music both as commercial releases and on Yle radio’s master tapes. She has appeared as an orchestral and chamber musician in numerous Yle TV talent shows.