Matti Raekallio hired as Professor of Piano in 2020–2021
Doctor of Music Matti Raekallio will serve as Professor of Piano at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy during the 2020–2021 academic year until the recruitment process for filling the professorship, currently on hold due to the coronavirus situation, is completed.
Matti Raekallio was a teacher at the Sibelius Academy in 1978–2008 and a professor in 1996–2008. From 2005 to 2015, he worked as a professor at Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, one of the most esteemed music academies in Europe. Since autumn 2007, he has worked as Professor of Piano at the Juilliard School in New York, and he is the First Finn to be invited as a permanent professor to the Faculty of this university, regarded as one of the world’s most distinguished. Raekallio is also a sought-after teacher in international master classes in Europe and the United States, Japan and Israel. He is eagerly looking forward to his return to the Sibelius Academy.
“It feels extremely pleasant to get to come back to the Sibelius Academy, which is a spectacular institution and also my first employer. I am also particularly delighted simply to come back to Finland. It feels like a relief to live in a country that I can identify with, a country with a rational leadership, and a country that has the right kinds of social values,” Raekallio says.
The recruitment process for filling the Professorship of Piano at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy for the term 1 August 2020–31 July 2025 was put on hold due to the coronavirus situation, because arranging the public proficiency demonstrations, for example, has not been possible this spring.
“We need two full-time Professors of Piano in our staff to ensure that our teaching can be provided smoothly. That is why we are delighted to have Matti Raekallio complement our teaching staff until the recruitment process for the position is completed,” comments Department Head for Piano, Guitar, Kantele and Accordion Niklas Pokki.
The Professorship of Piano is administratively based in the Department of Piano, Guitar, Kantele and Accordion at the Sibelius Academy’s Faculty of Classical Music. The primary duty of the Professor is to be in charge of the planning, implementation and development of the Sibelius Academy’s piano studies in cooperation with other teachers and Department Heads. In addition to bachelor’s and master’s studies, the Professor is also involved with the education provided by the Junior Academy and the Doctoral Schools.
Further information
Markus Utrio Vice Dean of the Faculty of Classical Music markus.utrio@uniarts.fi
Niklas Pokki Department Head for Piano, Guitar, Kantele and Accordion niklas.pokki@uniarts.fi