Mari Viluksela

violist, feminist, writer, walker, coach

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A consummate pathfinder, Finnish violist Mari Viluksela constantly looks at classical music from new perspectives, whether it’s reintroducing the work of historical female composers, engaging with contemporary music, developing new formats of musical interaction or empowering musicians to improve their well-being. She has dedicated her career to issues of equality in her field, and is particularly interested in how classical music can act as a natural and relevant part of our modern, ever-changing society.

 

Having studied at the Sibelius Academy Helsinki and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Mari now works as a freelancer both in Finland and Germany. Currently based in Helsinki, she collaborates extensively with living composers by commissioning and premiering new works. She counts Hamburg’s Blurred Edges and Non-Piano/Toy Piano Weekend contemporary music festivals as well as Finland’s Avanti! Chamber Orchestra among her many collaborators. Analog to her modern passions, Mari is also heavily involved in the performance of early music, often working with Ensemble Nylandia, Espoo Baroque and Finnish Baroque Orchestra.

 

in 2016, Mari co-founded the Kokonainen/Musequal festival, serving as one of its artistic directors until the 2021 season. Next to playing at her own festival, she’s lent her viola performances to the Kaivos, Kaakko Chamber Music, Soinillinen and Kuhmo Chamber Music Festivals. Beyond her creative festival work, Mari was the principal viola of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra from 2020-2023 and has taken on various principal roles as a guest with the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Finnish National Opera Orchestra, Lapland Chamber Orchestra and Hamburger Camerata.

 

Developing her interests beyond performance in the realm of classical music, Mari studied positive psychology and gender studies, training to be a Certified Professional Coach in Spring 2025. She has received notable grants i.a. from Claussen Simon Foundation (2019-2020) and Kone Foundation (2025-2026), and is currently researching viola music composed by women across time.

 

Mari is at home on stage, in libraries and archives, and on a hiking trail. She loves literature, the sea, the forgotten women of the history, and nature (especially on the British Isles).