Artist Tag: Featured

Per Gross is a Swedish recorder soloist and one of the leading virtuosos of his instrument. He began playing the recorder at the age of nine in the municipal music school and early on chose to focus on the instrument, even as many of his peers moved on to others. At fifteen, he made his solo debut at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

Gross completed his Master’s degree in Music/Performance in 2004 at the Academy of Music Southern Denmark, studying with Dan Laurin. Further studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm led to a soloist diploma in 2009. Since then, he has established an international career and received numerous scholarships and awards.

In 2008 he was awarded the Ljunggrenska Prize, which was widely noted by the press, followed by the Swedish Soloist Prize in 2010, one of the most significant distinctions of his career. The following year, Per Gross was invited to perform for the King of Sweden and international guests at Gripsholm Castle.

Nicholas Daniel OBE is one of the world’s leading oboists and one of Britain’s most influential musicians. He has profoundly expanded the oboe repertoire by commissioning and premiering hundreds of new works, alongside building a distinguished parallel career as a conductor.

As a soloist, he has appeared with major orchestras worldwide and is renowned for his wide-ranging repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary music. His recordings have received numerous awards. As a conductor he made his BBC Proms debut in 2004 and works across orchestral and operatic repertoire.

Nicholas Daniel is also a dedicated teacher and chamber musician, including as a founding member of the Britten Sinfonia. His honours include the Queen’s Medal for Music, an OBE (officer of the Order of the British Empire), and the Cobbett Medal for Chamber Music.

Michael Bleu is a Finnish musician, songwriter, and producer whose artistic expression moves between pop, rock, and cinematic soul. He first gained wide recognition in 2016 with the song Oi oi, which received extensive radio play and streaming success.

His debut album Michael Bleu Presents: Uusi Analogia was released in 2019, followed by American Graffiti (2020), an album deeply influenced by American music and film culture. With Auringonlaskun ratsastajat (2021), Bleu’s songwriting became more personal and introspective. The critically acclaimed Futuristik Soul (2024) explores themes such as the state of the world, climate change, and human vulnerability, and concludes with Ikuisuus, featured also in the end credits of the film Lapua 1976. In 2025, he released the piano-driven EP Varjomaat.

Alongside his solo career, Bleu has been active in several band projects, including The Duke and Colorblue, and works extensively as a producer, writer, and podcast host. His work is marked by strong storytelling and a seamless blend of music, film, and literature.

Angelika Klas is among Finland’s most charismatic and versatile vocal soloists. She graduated from the soloist department of Sibelius Academy and continued her studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Klas moves effortlessly between musical genres and is particularly acclaimed for her interpretations of both the classical lyric repertoire and tango music inspired by Astor Piazzolla.

As an opera singer, she has performed several distinguished roles, including the Countess in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen, and Maria in Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires. She has appeared on major stages such as the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Novaya Opera in Moscow, the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and the Finnish National Opera.

Klas is also a sought-after interpreter of operetta and musical theatre, having sung leading roles in works such as Die Fledermaus, Viennese Blood, Orpheus in the Underworld, and The Count of Luxembourg, as well as the autobiographical musical Tamara at Turku City Theatre.

A frequent festival soloist, she has performed with most Finnish orchestras and appeared internationally in Sweden, Estonia, Germany, France, Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, Norway, Russia, and Denmark. Angelika Klas is also the soloist of the tango-focused Kotaja Quintet and has released several albums of tango and crossover music.

Jan-Erik Gustafsson is one of Finland’s most distinguished and internationally sought-after cellists, active as a soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. He began his studies at the West Helsinki Music Institute with Markku Luolajan-Mikkola and continued at the Edsberg Institute in Stockholm with Mikhail Homitser and Frans Helmerson, completing his soloist diploma in 1992.

He gained international recognition at the age of fifteen through his success in the EBU Young Musicians Competition in Copenhagen. Since then, he has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as nearly all Finnish orchestras. He has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Paavo Järvi, Osmo Vänskä, Klaus Mäkelä, and Leif Segerstam.

A highly respected chamber musician, Jan-Erik Gustafsson is a regular guest at international festivals and has collaborated with artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Leonidas Kavakos, Christian Tetzlaff, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Ivry Gitlis. He has made numerous critically acclaimed recordings for the Ondine label. He serves as Artistic Director of the Korsholm Music Festival (Musikfestspelen Korsholm) and plays a cello made in 1890 by Stefano Scarampella.

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny is an internationally sought-after Finnish-Estonian violinist, active worldwide as a soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. She is a multiple prize winner, including the GSMD Gold Medal 2006, Finland’s Pro Musica Prize, and the Estonian Cultural Foundation Award in 2013.

She has performed across Europe, the United States, Asia, and Russia, collaborating with orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, as well as nearly all Finnish and Estonian symphony orchestras. As a chamber musician, she has appeared at international festivals and worked with artists including Maxim Vengerov, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, and Lisa Batiashvili.

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny has performed in leading concert halls such as the Gewandhaus Leipzig, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Kölner Philharmonie, and Finlandia Hall, and has collaborated with conductors including Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, Sir Colin Davis, Leif Segerstam, and Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

Her repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary music, with several composers having written works especially for her. She has made acclaimed recordings for labels including DECCA and Bayerischer Rundfunk. Since 2023, she has served as Artistic Director of the Tallinn Chamber Music Festival and performs on a 1678 Hieronymus II Amati violin, owned by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.