The Executive Director is responsible for the financial and organisational development of the Instrument Academies. Sulva-Vakkilainen will work in close cooperation with the three member associations, the String Academy, the Youth Piano Academy Finland and the Brass Academy.
Ninni Sulva-Vakkilainen has started as Executive Director of the Instrument Academies Association on 2 December 2024. She will also continue working as CEO of the Finnish Chamber Orchestra and Executive Director of the Kauniainen Music Festival. Sulva-Vakkilainen has a background as a viola pedagogue and extensive experience in the development of educational institutions, including the Association of Finnish Music Schools and the Association of Basic Education in the Arts. She has also worked as Orchestra Manager and teacher at the Espoo Music Institute. In addition to music education, she has studied musicology, cultural production and educational management.
In her role as Executive Director, Ninni Sulva-Vakkilainen is responsible for the financial and organisational development of the Instrument Academies. She will work closely with the three member associations, the String Academy, the Youth Piano Academy Finland and the Brass Academy. This is a new position created with the support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.
"Ninni Sulva-Vakkilainen has extensive experience in arts administration and music education. We look forward to working with Ninni and her contribution to the development of the Instrument Academies Association in the coming years," says Anni Pokki, outgoing Chair of the Board of the Instrument Academies Association.
The three Instrument Academies, the String Academy, the Finnish Youth Piano Academy and the Brass Academy, provide regular tuition for talented and motivated young musicians under the guidance of top teachers. The students of the Instrument Academies are aged between 8 and 20 and come from all over Finland. The tuition is usually organised as weekend courses where the students focus on the specific characteristics and handling of their own instrument. The teachers are distinguished musicians and educators.
More information
Chair of the Board Anni Pokki
Instrument Academies Association
045 6360 560
pokki.anni@gmail.com
Photo: Antti Rintala