The Seele string quartet was established at the initiative of its young members at the Junior Department of the Sibelius Academy in 2015. The group soon proved very promising indeed: only six months later, they won 1st prize in the national Erkki Melartin Chamber Music Competition. Their enthusiasm and excellent ensemble playing was a combination that was soon noted on the Finnish music scene. Over the years, Seele have appeared at numerous festivals, such as the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, the Hauho Music Festival and the Klassinen HIetsu concert series in Helsinki. They were the ensemble-in-residence at the Kauniainen Music Festival from 2017 to 2020. Their international merits include 2nd prize in the Rising Stars Grand Prix Berlin in 2017 and concerts in Estonia and the UK.

The Seele string quartet were coached by Paavo Pohjola, Teemu Kupiainen, Atte Kilpeläinen and Marko Ylönen at the Sibelius Academy. They have attended masterclasses given by Meta4 and by Mikhail Kopelman, violinist with the legendary Borodin Quartet.

Today, all four members of the Seele string quartet are distinguished performers in their own right. Violinists Rebecca Roozeman and Amanda Ernesaks are stuying with Prof. Mi-Kyung Lee in Munich. Violist Kristian Sallinen is also creating a career as a conductor and in this role has appeared with Sinfonia Lahti and the Helsinki Philharmonic in 2022. Cellist Tatu Kauppinen is a student at the Karajan Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, in addition to which he is completing a Master’s degree with Prof. Natalie Clein. They have all achieved success in national and international competitions in their respective instruments.