Kanteletaiteilija

Riikka Yli-Kotila

In English

Riikka and Kantele


Welcome to my webpage!
Hi, I’m Riikka, a kantele artist from Finland. I compose my own music, which is deeply rooted in Finnish folk music. I graduated from the Sibelius Academy’s Folk Music Department with a Master of Music degree. I perform various kantele concerts and I´m also a kantele teacher, working at a local music school in the Ylivieska area. I live in central Finland, in Ostrobothnia, in a house that my grandfather built, with my family.

I have studied pedagogy how to teach music to babies, children, teenagers, and seniors. One of my specialties is composing music to accompany stories. My latest concert production, ”Sukuni mailla” (On My Family’s Land), was performed in Helsinki on April 15, 2023. This concert combined my music and stories that I recorded from my family members and relatives, including tales from World War II.
I have composed music for children’s symphony orchestras, big bands, and smaller kantele and vocal ensembles.

My Bands
Kantele&Kokle Jazz-Duo with Kristine Tukre (Latvian kokle player)
Kantele&Guitar Folk Duo with Juha Yli-Kotila
Kantele Ensemble Kaarna (6-8 kantele players)
Vocal Ensemble Kuutama (Moonlight), where we sing a cappella Finnish folk music and pop music

Please, take a contact and ask more:

I am available for concerts, gigs, and teaching Finniah folk music.

riikka.ylikotila@gmail.com

+358-40 778 26 20