BiographyPianist and composer Johanna Pitkänen grew up in Kuopio in the Finnish Lake District. Already in early childhood she would spend hours improvising on the piano. While still focusing on classical piano studies, her first encounter with jazz happened in her teens when she came across a Thelonious Monk recording. Later on she would go on discovering the richness and diversity of music, while nurturing her love for jazz and improvisation.
Pitkänen has explored the musical globe while performing with musicians from Egypt, Cuba, Spain, Cape Verde and more. She has performed at various festivals in Finland and abroad and taken part in dance productions. Since 2010 Pitkänen has been performing with Helsinki-based jazz group Kokko Quartet. The group has released two albums. A lover of music but also of nature, philosophy and stories and myths from around the world, Pitkänen's approach to music is close to storytelling. She believes that for a musician “the biggest attraction is being mysterious”, quoting Egyptian pianist and composer Fathy Salama. In her different projects, Pitkänen also explores the connections between music and other art forms. Besides working as a freelance musician, Pitkänen has worked for several years as a piano teacher and band teacher. In 2016 Pitkänen graduated from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm with a Master's degree. In 2009 she graduated from .Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, with a Bachelor’s degree in Pop and Jazz Music. |
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