Sonja Vertainen is a versatile accordion and bandoneon player active as a soloist and chamber musician. She has a strong commitment to contemporary music and has premiered works by composers including Cecilia Damström, Kimmo Hakola, Veli Kujala, and Aulis Sallinen.

In 2024, she received the Emma Award for Classical Music for the album Finnish Accordion Concertos, featuring her performance as soloist in Sallinen’s Accordion Concerto with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. The same year, she premiered Damström’s accordion concerto Permafrost, broadcast live by YLE and selected as a recommended work at the International Rostrum of Composers.

Vertainen is active both in Finland and internationally, performs regularly at festivals around Europe, and can often be heard on the radio. She graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 2022 and began postgraduate studies in Hannover in 2023. Her performances are marked by strong presence, expressive clarity, and a deep commitment to communication with both musicians and audiences.