Violinist Kreeta-Maria Kentala is a pioneer in the Finnish movement for early music. She’s at home as a soloist, a leader and a pedagogue of Baroque, Classical, Romantic music as well as folk music. She regularly gives concerts as a solo artist, a member of chamber music projects, and as a soloist, concertmaster and a leader of an orchestra.
Kreeta-Maria studied violin in the Central Ostrobothnia school of music with esteemed teachers such as Mauno Järvelä, Juha Kangas and Kaija Saarikettu. From there she advanced to Sibelius Academy and on to Edsberg music school to Jennifer and Endre Wolf’s group. A master class arranged at Edsberg introduced her to Reinhard Goebel, whom she followed to Cologne to study Baroque music. Kreeta-Maria also studied Baroque music on various master classes and collaborative projects under the guidance of Baroque violinist Monica Huggett.
In the course of her career Kreeta-Maria has had the opportunity to work as an orchestra musician in the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and as a Baroque musician in the Musica Antiqua Köln ensemble. Kreeta-Maria is also active as a pedagogue – it seems a passion for teaching is a hereditary trait in her family. She teaches musicians specializing in Baroque music in Novia, Pietarsaari University of Applied Sciences. Furthermore, she’s very much in demand as a trainer for orchestral musicians and instrument pedagogues, especially in the musical styles of Baroque, Classicism and early Romantic era. Previously Kreeta-Maria as also worked as a lecturer for violin in the Länsi-Helsinki school of music and as a Baroque music lecturer in the Sibelius Academy.
Kreeta-Maria is the leader figure of several regularly touring ensembles. She’s a member of the Rantatie string quartet, specialising in period instruments, the Jouheva ensemble and the folk Baroque ensemble SAMA who combine Baroque with folk and new music. She’s also a member of The Jones Band that plays less familiar and more unusual Baroque sonatas, and Barocco Boreale, who tour the western coast of Finland and spread knowledge of early music. One of Kreeta-Maria’s favorite tasks is drawing up and playing concert repertoire consisting of unknown composers and music that rarely gets performed. She also loves merging different genres together: Baroque goes very well together with folk music or a brand new modern piece of music.
Recordings Kreeta-Maria has made as a chamber musician and a soloist have gathered great acclaim in Finland and abroad. She’s received three Emma Awards, a Janne Award from the Finnish AV producers and two the Album of the Year awards of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE. In the year 2016 The Arts Promotion Centre Finland granted Kreeta-Maria a five-year artist grant for the years 2017–2021.
As a Kaustinen-born folk musician from both her mother and her father’s side, Kreeta-Maria has played folk music from a very early age, and the highly active musical life in her hometown is close to Kreeta-Maria’s heart. She was the artistic leader of the Kaustinen Chamber Music Week in the years 2010-2012, and the chair of Kaustinen Folk Musician Association in the years 2013–2016. She is currently active in the Folk Musician Association as a board member as well as in arranging folk music jam sessions.
Konsta Jylhä: Walz for Jaana & J.S. Bach: Giga, Partita D Minor
Kreeta-Maria works as a chamber musician, concertmaster-leader and a pedagogue, but in addition to these she also features as a soloist with different orchestras and ensembles and performs in her own solo violin concerts. Her violin concerto repertoire includes works from Bach, Vivaldi, Leclair, Roman, Tulindberg, Ferling, Pichl, Mozart and Haydn. More infos →
Rantatie Quartet is a string quartet playing Classical and Romantic music using period instruments. The quartet is dedicated to bringing lesser-known music pieces forward, while not neglecting Mozart and Haydn.
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Unico Willem van Wassenaer: Concerto Armonico no 3 A major (Kimito Island Music Festival 13.7.2013)
Kreeta-Maria has a keenness for teaching and tutoring quite obviously running in the family. This has spurred her on to work as lecturer for violin in the Länsi-Helsinki school of music and as a Baroque violin lecturer at the Sibelius Academy.
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Kreeta-Maria is very sought after when it comes to training orchestral musicians, especially with Baroque, Classical and early Romantic styles.
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Kaustinen-style jam session (Restaurant Pelimanni 14.8.2015)
A decendant of folk music families from both her mother’s and father’s side, Kreeta-Maria has played folk music from a young age. More about this video →
Mikko Perkola: Fado (Rehearsal in Kaustinen 23.6.2015)
Jouheva is a versatile band with three multitalented members; Kreeta-Maria, Mikko Perkoila and Sampo Korva.
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Timo Alakotila: Baroque violin concerto, Largo (Tampere Biennale 16.4.2008)
SAMA is a folk baroque ensemble consisting of 10 musicians playing period instruments and combining old and new music with an open-minded attitude.
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Vivaldi: Concerto for strings and basso continuo, RV 114 (Ylivieska Church 6.1. 2014)
Barocco Boreale consists of members of Ostrobothnian Baroque musician families; Kentala, Virkkala, Pulakka, Pyrhönen, Holmqvist, Mansnerus, Kangas and Polso. More about this video →
The Jones band is a trio consisting of Kreeta-Maria Kentala, Lauri Pulakka and Mitzi Meyerson. The band has raised a lot of international attention and received brilliant reviews for their recordings of Richard Jones and Giovanni Battista Somis.
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Kreeta-Maria Kentala
+358 40 565 9803
info ( at ) kreetamariakentala.fi
