Linda Brava
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Linda Brava | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 26, 1970 |
| Origin | Helsinki, Finland |
| Genre(s) | Classical music, Rock music, Pop music, Folk music, Celtic music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Model, Actress, Politician, Rally co-driver, Entrepreneuer |
| Instrument(s) | Violin |
| Years active | 1978 – Present |
| Label(s) | Ladybird Productions AB |
| Website | http://ladybird.se/ |
Linda Brava, real name Linda Lampenius (born on February 26, 1970 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish classical violinist.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Brava was born into a Finland-Swedish family and culture in which music formed a vital part of life. Her father is a former theater director, actor, singer and also a composer of musicals and operettas. Her mother is a former singer and actress. Brava grew up in Eira, a wealthy district in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and in a family country house in Lappträsk. She attended Svenska normallyceum in Helsinki.
[edit] Musical career
Brava has performed around the world since the age of eight playing in and with many European orchestras, pianists and other artists. Brava has done innumerable public concerts in addition to her head of state and royal concert appearances. As a musician, Brava has performed and been interviewed on various television and radio shows from the BBC, CNN and Classic FM to Entertainment Tonight as well as featured in broadsheets, magazines and tabloids from the The Times to The Gramophone, Playboy and The Sun.
[edit] Classical music education
Brava started her music studies as a three-year-old in a musical kindergarten and played the piano. At the age of five, she started to play the violin with Géza Szilvay at the East Helsinki Music Institute. By the age of ten, Brava had already been granted a scholarship by the notable Swedish Cultural Foundation for being such a promising young violinist.
Brava was then accepted to the world-renowned university level music school Sibelius Academy (qualifies as being among the top music schools in the world) even before earning her Matriculation examination. Brava studied at the Academy from 1985 to 1996.
During the years, Brava was the concertmistress of the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra and led the Sibelius Academy Conducting Class Orchestra (Jorma Panula served as professor of conducting) for seven years as well as did some broadcast performances for the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Brava also played in Ofelia, a string quartet at the Academy, and participated in masterclass with the Amadeus Quartet. Ofelia was then chosen to perform at final concert of the masterclass.
From 1990 to 1996, Brava worked for some of the best orchestras in Finland, like the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, performing also frequently as a soloist - for example, Brava opened Sibeliuspäivät (The Sibelius Days, named after Jean Sibelius) in Finland in 1995.
Later on, Brava was guided by professor Mauricio Fuks, Jacobs School of Music, in the USA. While living in Los Angeles, Brava also studied with Eduard Schmieder.
[edit] Classical music
Brava started to play the violin at the age of five and was made a member and soloist of the prestigious Helsinki Strings Orchestra three years later. As a child prodigy on the violin, Brava also played on Finnish television countless times presenting the Colourstrings method, which was created by her first violin teacher Géza Szilvay. Brava made her solo orchestral appearance debut with The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Finland at the age of eleven, led the Helsinki Strings at thirteen, and, from 1978 to 1993, she toured as a soloist, concertmistress and member with many orchestras in Europe, North America and Asia. Brava also served as a board member of the Helsinki Philharmonic after she was elected to the Helsinki City Council for a four-year term in 1996.
Brava is foremost a chamber musician, performing mainly with an accompanist, but she has also made many solo orchestral appearances after her solo career fully started in 1996. Brava has played as a soloist, for example, with many Finnish city orchestras, Stockholm Sinfonietta and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She has also played with pianists like John Lenehan and Laura Mikkola. In addition to playing in public concerts, Brava has also performed, for example, for the president of Finland, Prince of Monaco (Brava was accompanied by Milan's La Scala Orchestra), the Swedish Royal Family and some of the Nobel Prize winners.
Brava was offered a record deal by EMI in 1997, and her classical album, "Linda Brava", was released worldwide by EMI Classics in 1999. Positive reviews were given by classical music magazines like The Gramophone, and Classic FM Magazine dedicated its cover story for "Linda Brava, Finland's violin sensation". The magazine also wrote that she plays "with a pleasant, honeyed tone - making the most of her golden-voiced 1781 Galliano violin - and an unaffected grace that will surely win her many friends". Other music magazines Brava has been featured in include, for example, Andante, Classic CD, Q and Muso. The Times has stated her to be "the gifted Finnish classical violinist" and also wrote "Bravo Brava", while The Sunday Times has said "she plays like Nigel Kennedy". Brava has also been called "a striking Finnish blonde with impeccable musical credentials" by the Los Angeles Daily News. With the classical release, Brava toured and played all around Europe and the Far East appearing on various television and radio shows including popular British morning shows Big Breakfast and This Morning. UK's Classic FM aired music from the album daily for several weeks, and Brava's music video for "Ave Maria" can still be seen on Classic FM TV. The video is also featured on the first edition of Classic FM [2003] DVD.
After taking some time of her own, and years spent in Los Angeles and London, Brava moved to Stockholm in 2002. During her years in Sweden, Brava has continued playing classical music and has performed many times for the members and friends of the Swedish Royal Court. She has also done lots of public concerts and television and radio appearances. With her classical repertoire, Brava has appeared in venues such as the Stockholm Concert Hall, but also in rock events. She has also performed around Scandinavia for various corporate events, played for the NATO troops in Kosovo, in Unicef's gala in Switzerland, in "Rhapsody in Rock" show in London's Royal Albert Hall, at 2007 Cannes Film Festival and she even made a concert appearance in Siberia's Irkutsk in 2006.
Brava's instrument is a 1781 Gagliano violin.
[edit] Pop and rock music
Brava released her first pop single, "Violator"/"Toccata & Fugue", in 1996. Her self-titled pop album, Linda Lampenius, was released in 1997, and it hit the Finnish charts as it was only released in Finland.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber reportedly saw a documentary about Brava on Channel 4 and invited her to play a solo part on the violin in his new piece "Metal Philharmonic", which was written for his private Sydmonton Festival, held in the summer of 1997. This employment brought Brava the cover story of The Sunday Times (culture section) and many headlines across Europe and she became known as a blonde violin sensation. Brava has since done some pop appearances on American television, the BBC and Rai Uno as well as in Globen, Sporting Club and Royal Albert Hall, to name a few.
Brava has had her own pop/rock band, The Violators, with whom she performed music from her first album. While living in London, Brava also played and recorded with musicians from Page & Plant's on-tour band and producer Craig Leon. Unreleased recordings from the sessions include perhaps the last recording of Ofra Haza who died soon after.
In 2002, Brava was given a lead role in a variety show called "Fantastix", which ran in Stockholm in 2003. In the show, Brava played the violin and she was also seen on stage as a fire eater.
Brava has made many guest appearances with pop and rock artists, e.g. Mustasch, Takida, Leningrad Cowboys and Magnus Bäcklund (Brava was featured on Bäcklund's single, "Burn", which hit the Swedish charts in 2007). Brava is also playing the violin in "Fade Away" on Celine Dion's album Taking Chances released in November 2007.
[edit] Folk and celtic music
In 2004, Brava went on doing two 25-city concert tours across Sweden performing with some of the country's best folk musicians - above all Kalle Moraeus - and the following year her latest album called "Nordic Light", presenting Nordic folk melodies, was released with acclaim in the North. The album was re-released in the spring 2008 and it peaked at number 12 on the Top Album Chart.
In 2007, Brava filmed with an Irish choral group called Anúna a music special for American PBS. The channel aired the show called "Anúna: Celtic Origins" nationwide in the USA in August/September of 2007. Following the television special, Brava toured with the choir in concert halls all around the States from October to December. The nine-week-tour included over 40 concerts.
Brava is featured on Anúna's "Celtic Origins" CD and DVD releases. The album was North America's bestselling World Music CD for weeks according to Nielsen SoundScan, and it was also the bestselling CD in all categories at Borders for the entire month of August.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Linda Lampenius - Audiovox Records - 1997
- Linda Brava - EMI Classics - 1999
- Nordic Light - Ladybird - 2005 (re-released in 2008)
- Celtic Origins (Live) - Elevation - 2007 (guest violin soloist)
- Taking Chances - Sony - 2007 (strings)
[edit] Singles
- Violator/Toccata & Fugue in D minor - Audiovox Records - 1996
- Ave Maria/Salut d'Amour - EMI Classics - 1999
- Burn - UNI - 2007 (featured artist)
[edit] DVDs
- Classic FM [2003] DVD - BMG Music Programming - 2003 (one of 20 featured artists)
- Celtic Origins (Live) - Elevation - 2007 (guest violin soloist)
[edit] Other careers
Not only has Brava an impressive musical career, but she has also worked as a model, actress, part-time politico, rally/co-driver, and entrepreneur.
[edit] Modelling
Brava was the spokesperson and model for Björn Borg's range of underwear and bathing suits in the North from 1996 to 1999. She appeared in print ads and on catwalks playing music from her pop album. In 2000, Brava was a model for Laxroix watches in England performing in their PR events and appearing in print ads.
Because of her status as a blond violin sensation in Europe, Brava was offered a contract to become the celebrity cover girl of Playboy. Brava agreed, and was featured in and on the cover of Playboy's Sex & Music issue of 1998 (she was also featured on the cover of Italian and Australian editions of the magazine). Brava was then chosen to be one of Playboy's "Sex Stars of 1998", among such celebrities as Cindy Crawford and Kate Winslet, for the magazine's December issue of 1998.
Brava has also modelled, for example, for Café, Classic FM, Details (named Brava the best newcomer in sex and music categories), Elle, GQ, Hello!, Maxim and Vogue magazines.
[edit] Acting
Brava made her theater debut in Svenska Teatern at the age of three and was touring with the theater in Sweden and Norway the following year. Brava has also done some acting on Finnish and Swedish tv series and has been a guest actress for one episode each of American tv series Fame L.A. and Baywatch.
[edit] Politics
Brava represented the Swedish People's Party and was elected to the Helsinki City Council for a four-year term in 1996. In 1997, she was chosen to be "Finland's Tourist Envoy in Sweden".
[edit] Race rallying and other sports
Brava has driven Sport 2000 series cars and she has also worked as a co-driver in rally in Finland.
Brava has had her own go-cart team, and she has also go in for alpine skiing, scuba-diving, boxing and archery. Brava danced classical ballet for a while as a child, and participated in TV4's Let's Dance (a Swedish version of Dancing with the Stars) in 2008.
[edit] Entrepreneur
Brava lent her name and image to a brand of Finnish cider, which sold millions of litres in the North between 1997 and 2000. Brava had her own calendar in Finland for the year of 1998. Brava's autobiography, Linda, was published by WSOY in Finland in 2003.
[edit] Now
Brava has worked on her next album in New York, but no release date has been given yet.
At the beginning of the year, Brava participated in Let's Dance 2008, a Swedish version of Dancing with the Stars, on TV4. After an injury, she came 6th of 12.
During the summer, Brava is touring with pianist Robert Wells and tenor Paul Potts in Sweden. Potts and Brava will be accompanied by a Prague symphony orchestra. In August, Brava is set to perform with pianist Peter Jablonski and cellist Gemma Rosefield the Triple Concerto by Beethoven at the Malar International Music Festival.
