Violinist PETTERI IIVONEN was appointed First Leader of the Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris in 2019, having previously held the same position in the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera. He has been praised for his flawless technique (Il Gazzettino) and his sensitivity and carefully considered phrasing (Helsingin Sanomat). He won 2nd prize in the Sibelius Violin Competition in 2010, being only the second Finnish prizewinner ever in that competition.

Iivonen regularly appears at chamber music festivals and as a soloist with prominent orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, the Rhineland-Palatinate State Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris. He is a founding member of the Sibelius Piano Trio and, with the group’s début album, was nominee in the contemporary classical music category in the Latin Grammy Awards.