Pasi Pirinen
Concert
Trumpeter Pasi Pirinen is Professor of Brass Instruments at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and Principal Trumpet of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
Before joining the Helsinki Philharmonic, Pirinen served a Principal Trumpet of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. His earliest orchestral engagements were as Principal Trumpet of the Córdoba Symphony and of the San Luis Chamber Orchestra in Argentina.
Pirinen has appeared as a guest with a wide range of distinguished orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and on period instruments with the Finnish Baroque Orchestra.
He started his instrumental studies in his hometown of Tornio in Finland and later attended the junior department of Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He studied under the tutelage of John Miller, Paul Cosh, and Paul Archibald at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, after which private studies took him to Michael Sachs in Cleveland, US, and to Antoine Curé in Paris.
In 1998, Pirinen won 1st Prize in the ITG Ellsworth Smith Trumpet Competition in the US and in 1987, 2nd Prize in the Concertino Praga Competition. He was chosen ‘Brass Player of the Year’ by the Lieksa Brass Festival in Finland in 1999.
Pirinen regularly teaches masterclasses in the most renowned conservatoires around the world. He frequently serves as a member of the jury in prestigious international trumpet competitions, including the Theo Charlier Competition in Brussels, Città di Porcia in Italy, Aeolus in Düsseldorf, Ellsworth Smith ITG Competition, and most recently as Chair of the 2023 International Philip Jones Brass Ensemble Competition in Birmingham.
As an active soloist, Pirinen has played first performances of many contemporary works, including concertos by composers Erik Bergman, Jouni Kaipainen, Harri Wessman, and Anthony Plog. Notable performances in the contemporary genre also include the trumpet concerto by Peter Maxwell-Davies, Requiem by Hans Werner Henze, and Luciano Berio’s Sequenza X.
His critically acclaimed discography includes albums ‘Heptade’ and an album of trumpet concertos by Haydn, Kaipainen, and Tomasi with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Hannu Lintu, released by the Alba label.
Pasi Pirinen is a Yamaha Artist.