BIOGRAPHY

Jouni Rissanen is a versatile and accomplished conductor, acclaimed for his work with youth choirs, symphony choirs, and opera productions.

He has conducted the premieres of three Finnish operas: Seppo Pohjola’s Sillanpää (2017), Jukka Linkola’s Hiljaiset perivät maan (The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth, 2022), and Paavo Korpijaakko’s Ihmiset suviyössä (People in the Summer Night, 2023). As a conductor, Rissanen has worked with the Vaasa City Orchestra, Tampere RAW, Hyvinkää Orchestra, and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of Tampere.

Since 2011, Rissanen has been particularly known as the artistic director of the Pirkanpojat Boys’ Choir. Under his leadership, the choir has toured Estonia, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Iceland, and won the Majaoja Prize in 2020. Since 2020, Rissanen has served as the chorus master for the Tampere Philharmonic Choir, and since 2017, he has been the assistant conductor and chorus master for the Ilmajoki Music Festival. Rissanen has collaborated with several opera directors (Kari Heiskanen, Tuomas Parkkinen, Marco Bjurström, Heta Haanperä, Riikka Oksanen) and singers (Johanna Rusanen, Helena Juntunen, Mari Palo, Päivi Nisula, Ville Rusanen, Sauli Tiilikainen, Waltteri Torikka). As a chorus master, he has worked under world-class conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Hannu Lintu, and Eliahu Inbal. In the realm of Finnish opera, Rissanen is renowned for his ability to craft communicative, precise, flowing, and emotionally charged performances.

Rissanen’s path to becoming a music professional began in 1994 as a boy soprano with Cantores Minores. He continued his musical education with violin, piano, and drum lessons at the West Helsinki Music Institute and the Pop & Jazz Conservatory, followed by professional studies at the Sibelius Academy, where he earned his Master of Music degree in 2011 with a major in music education.

He further studied conducting at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences under the guidance of Timo Nuoranne and Jani Sivén, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 2012 with top grades. He also completed a two-year specialization program in choral conducting in 2015 (TAMK Music) and deepened his expertise in orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy’s continuing education program, attending masterclasses led by Atso Almila. Rissanen also studied voice at the Sibelius Academy under Petteri Salomaa and Jorma Elorinne.

Jouni Rissanen has worked as a children’s choir coach at the Tampere Opera from 2017 to 2022 and as a choral conducting teacher at TAMK Music. As a baritone singer, he performs with professional choirs, such as the Helsinki Chamber Choir and Tampere Cappella. Known as a versatile musician with passion for culture, Rissanen has been invited to serve as a music expert on panels, working groups, and boards, including the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Pirkanmaa Fund) and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, where he contributed from 2020 to 2024 (music, Pirkanmaa Regional Arts Council, and children’s culture panel).

The orchestra Tampere RAW, conducted by Jouni Rissanen, delivers top-quality performance and has a profound understanding of the libretto. The Hämeenkyrö FEStival’s opera production is bold—a daring effort that challenges traditional interpretations of Sillanpää.

Anne Välinoro / Kulttuuritoimitus.fi 15.7.2023

KORPIJAAKKO: PEOPLE IN THE SUMMER NIGHT

Tampere RAW, Hämeenkyrön FEStiwaalit

The music flows humbly. The pre-recorded, brilliant Tampere Raw ensemble is completely in tune with the intimate essence of the composition. Conductor Jouni Rissanen ensured at the premiere that the recorded music and the singers seamlessly came together.

Harri Hautala / Aamulehti 15.7.2023

KORPIJAAKKO: PEOPLE IN THE SUMMER NIGHT

Tampere RAW, Hämeenkyrön FEStiwaalit

If a performance captivates you, as this St. John Passion by Bach organized by Pirkanpojat at the Cathedral did, you don’t even notice the passage of time. In the end, the choir was astonishingly strong and tonally cohesive. Conductor Jouni Rissanen had accomplished a monumental task with the boys.

Harri Hautala / Aamulehti 8.4.2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

J.S. BACH: ST JOHN PASSION

Hyvinkää Orchestra

The joy of music-making (Valtonen: Meissä soi!) radiates with immense energy from the stage to the audience. Jouni Rissanen conducted the ensemble with precision, and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of Tampere delivered a high-quality performance.

Harri Hautala / Aamulehti 29.10.2022

PIRKANPOJAT 50 YEARS

Academic Symphony Orchestra of Tampere

It really was worth the wait. The work has the potential to become a new and unique 'Lapua Opera.' The Vaasa City Orchestra, under Jouni Rissanen's direction, sounded cohesive and well-rehearsed.

Vesa Sirén / Helsingin Sanomat 10.6.2022

LINKOLA: THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

Vaasa City Orchestra

The young choir director and conductor Jouni Rissanen kept the energetic and unstrained singers well-coordinated.

Auli Särkiö-Pitkänen / Rondo 23.7.2017

POHJOLA: SILLANPÄÄ

Tampere RAW, Hämeenkyrön FEStiwaalit

MEDIA