Ilona Jokinen

Ilona Jokinen (b. Lahti, 1981) is a Finnish soprano opera singer. She began her vocal studies in Lahti in 1997 as a pupil of Leena Pulkki and was a pupil of Ritva Auvinen at the Helsinki Polytechnic (Stadia) from 2001 until December 2005 after which she received her Bachelor's Degree as Singing Teacher. When she was due to qualify as a voice teacher. She also took the Sibelius Academy's opera training programme from 2004, continuing with Ritva Auvinen, and has studied Lied with Pirkko Tornqvist-Paakkanen, Heikki Pellinen, Ilmo Ranta and others. In 2004 she was chosen for the sponsorship programme run jointly by the Sibelius Academy and TeliaSonera Finland; this continued until 2007. In summer 2005 Ilona Jokinen won the third prize in the national Merikanto Singing Competition at the Salmela Art Centre, having been one of the finalists in the Timo Mustakallio Competition the previous year and taken the first prize in the national class of the Pentti Koskimies Lied Competition with pianist Asta Lötjönen in 2003. Among the roles in Ilona Jokinen's repertoire are Susanna (Mozart's The Magic Flute), Kassandra (The Trojan Women by Jani Sivén), Amahl (Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors) and Serpina (Pergolesi's La serva padrona). Engagements in past seasons included a recital in Tokyoin December 2005 and Savonlinna Opera Festival.

In 2006 Ilona Jokinen debuted at the Savolinna Opera Festival where she played the Young Shepherd in Wagner's Tannhauser. During the Summer of 2007 she appeared in the new opera "Daddy's Girl" by Olli Kortekangas at the Savolinna Opera Festival playing the part of the mentally disturbed daughter. In autumn of 2007 she will debute at the Finnish Opera in the new Carmen production in which she will play "Frasquita".

External links

* [http://www.festium.fi/english/artistgallery/femalevocalists/ilona_jokinen.html Ilona Jokinen Online CV]