Alto Noras

A great artist born in Finland, with a strong, large-scale, and calm demeanor.

Noras' musical grandeur is rooted in the soil of his homeland. After studying at the Sibelius Academy, he studied under Tortelier at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1966, he won the 2nd prize at the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition and is one of Finland's leading cellists. The Finlandia label has released many great CDs, from Brahms to Shostakovich to Penderecki. What is noteworthy is that he had direct contact with Shostakovich, Penderecki, Tortellier, and others, and many aspects of his playing style were directly influenced by composers. In addition to his individual performance activities, he has served as the artistic director of the Naantali Music Festival, which has been held annually since its founding, inviting the Ashkenazy and I Musici ensembles and others. He has also served as a professor at the Sibelius Academy for more than 70 years, nurturing world-class musicians. He is always invited as a judge to the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition held in Osaka, and has given many master classes. The low notes spun from his famous Grancino instrument deeply touch the heart, and the high notes, sung freely and sweetly at times, eloquently tell the story like a minstrel. As one of the leading performers of our time, he is currently attracting the most attention.

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