Over the past decade, cellist Senja Rummukainen has grown from a very promising young cellist to the brightest focus among Finnish musicians. Born in Helsinki in 1994, Rummukainen’s musical journey began in 2001 at the East Helsinki Music Institute under the guidance of Taru Aarnio and Allar Kaasik. In 2014, she became famous on the Finnish concert scene after winning first prize at the Turku National Cello Competition. Just a year later, she was awarded the title of finalist at Porto’s Guilhermina Suggia Prize, and in 2019 she reached the final of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Saint Petersburg, where she was awarded 6th prize.

Her performances as a soloist with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmônica de Bogotá, Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales have been praised by the press, colleagues, and listeners. Rummukainen has performed as a soloist with Nicholas Collon, Dima Slobodeniouk, Leif Segerstam, Jonathon Heyward, and Jorma Panula. Notable performances in the 2024/2025 season include her appearance at the BBC Proms with Sakari Oramo and at the Salzburg Easter Festival with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

As a chamber musician, Rummukainen is one of the most popular in Finland. For many years, she has been a part of the musical backbone at the most important Finnish festivals, such as Kuhmo Chamber Music, Turku Music Festival, and Oulu Music Festival. She has also been the artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Summer Festival together with Johannes Piirto, Kasmir Uusitupa, Tami Pohjola, and Riina Piirilä from 2017 to 2021. Rummukainen has been performing all over Europe and has performed, for example, with Janine Jansen, Ilya Gringolts, and Augustin Hadelich. She has also given masterclasses at Cellofest in Helsinki and Porvoo Cello Academy, and she was a member of the jury in the Porvoo Cello Competition in 2021.

She started her studies at the East Helsinki Music Institute with Taru Aarnio and Allar Kaasik from 2001 to 2009. At the Sibelius Academy between 2009 and 2013, under the guidance of Marko Ylönen, she learned to handle large lines and large entities, completing her Bachelor of Music from 2013 to 2017. During this time, she also studied at the Folkwang Universität der Künste Essen with Prof. Young-Chang Cho (2014–2015) and spent an exchange year at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Prof. Truls Mørk (2016–2017). Following her bachelor’s degree, Rummukainen moved to Berlin to study with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the Universität der Künste. She completed her Master of Music there from 2017 to 2021 and continued with her Konzertexamen studies from 2021 onwards.

Rummukainen currently plays a David Tecchler cello from 1707 on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

See Senja Rummukainen perform Anna Clyne’s DANCE with the RSNO on 20, 21 and 22 March 2025.