Tuomas Haapanen

 Tuomas Haapanen was born in Helsinki in 1924, where he studied the violin at the Sibelius Academy. He made his Helsinki debut in 1948 and afterwards continued his studies with Nauwinck and Benedetti in Paris. During his more than 30-year career as a soloist he performed with many renowned orchestras and played as a chamber musician with a number of chamber ensembles. He has served as concertmaster of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Chamber Orchestra. In 1962 he was appointed head violin teacher at the Turku Conservatory and in 1978 he became violin professor at the Sibelius Academy, where from 1987 to 1990 he acted as principal. He has been a major figure in Finnish musical life, due to his role as president of the International Sibelius Violin Competition and to his important pedagogical work – many of his students have won prizes in international competitions.