Arto Noras
Arto Noras (b. 1942, Turku, Finland) is a grand old master of his instrument and is considered one of the most outstanding internationally acknowledged cellists of his generation.
At the age of six, Arto Noras started his studies with professor Yrjö Selin at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. After completing his studies, he took lessons with professor Paul Tortelier at the Paris Conservatoire, where he gained the Premier Prix diploma in 1964. Two years later, he was awarded the Second Prize at the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition, which immediately opened his way to the most important concert halls in Europa as well as in North and South America and later in Asia.
In 1970, Arto Noras was appointed cello professor at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he served for 40 years, and then he was invited to teach at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg. He has also given masterclasses all over the world and has been a member of the juries of the most prestigious international cello competitions.
He founded the Naantali Music Festival in 1980 and directed it for over 40 years, and the International Paulo Cello Competition in 1991, of which he is also artistic director, and was a founding member of the Sibelius Academy Quartet.
Arto Noras’ repertoire covers all the major works composed for cello, including those by contemporary composers. He has performed as soloist with the leading orchestras and conductors around the world and as a chamber musician he has performed with many of the prominent musicians of our time. Arto Noras has collaborated closely with numerous composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Aulis Sallinen and Jeajoon Ryu, and has even performed Penderecki’s works under his baton on four different continents. Also, he has recorded extensively, including several works dedicated to him.
