AJ Marini

I am a native of Rochester, NY who also lived in Washington, D.C. for 7 years. In 2010 I moved to Helsinki, Finland, where I currently live, work, teach, and go to school. I am currently pursuing my Master's degree in baroque violin at the Sibelius Academy, and I received my BM in Violin Performance (modern violin) from the Catholic University of America's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music in 2008. I am an active freelancer on violin and viola, and also have a passion for "secondary instruments" such as nyckelharpa, as you can see below. I am active in the Helsinki area, but always looking for opportunities to come back to the States to recharge my world-travelling batteries! I have a special love for chamber music, and I have attended summer programs such as Meadowmount and Music Horizons (ESM).

I also specialize in historical performance, and I am an active member of the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and Suomalainen barokkiorkesteri (Finnish Baroque Orchestra - FIBO). In addition to those two groups, I have performed with the Balitmore Baroque Band, Bach Sinfonia, Publick Musick, Modern Musick, and the Folger Consort. I have also attended summer institutes such as the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, Oberlin's Baroque Performance Institute, and I played in a masterclass with Robert Mealy at the 2007 Boston Early Music Festival. I have also participated in masterclasses with several violinists here in Europe, including Riccardo Minasi, Georg Kallweit, and Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch. I am an active recitalist, and can be seen in solo recitals as well as with my two quartets: Puussa-kvartetti and Corde Sonore. In the early music realm, I also play viola d'amore, violino piccolo, and viola da gamba (bass viol).

I'm also an active private teacher in Helsinki, and have experience teaching in various other group situations from the past. I've been teaching since June 2003 and teach students of any age and skill level. I do not limit myself to teaching only classical music. I also teach various types of fiddle music (specializing in Irish and Scandanavian music) and music for people who purely pursue violin as a hobby. I believe that making music for any reason is a good reason, so please get in contact with me!

Due to safety issues, I do not release my address and phone number on this medium. However, feel free to e-mail me, and I will respond to you very quickly. My e-mail is violin (at) 11marini (dot) endjunk (dot) com.