Biography (read more)
Otto Tolonen (born 1980) is a Finnish classical guitarist. He began his studies under Andrzej Wilkus at the Espoo Music Institute, later studying in Germany with Thomas Müller-Pering and Jürgen Ruck, and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, with Oscar Ghiglia, where he was awarded the Diploma di Merito in three consecutive years. Between 1995 and 2009 he won prizes in twenty international competitions, including first prizes at the Andrés Segovia Competition in La Herradura, Spain, and the Markneukirchen instrumental competition in Germany. He is professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and also teaches at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Tolonen’s repertoire spans Renaissance vihuela and lute works through to contemporary music, and he is internationally recognised as an interpreter of Hans Werner Henze’s guitar works. As a professor at two leading Nordic conservatories, he has also shaped a generation of Scandinavian guitarists.
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