Martti Rousi

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Martti Rousi, born on 1960-11-02 in Turku is a Finnish cellist.

Martti Rousi started to play the cello at the age of 8 in Turku. His first teachers were Timo Hanhinen and Seppo Kimanen. Then, he studied at Sibelius Academy with Arto Noras and got his diploma in 1983 with excellent grade. During the year 1985-86, Rousi studied at Indiana University with Janos Starker. He also took part in Master Classes with Natalia Gutman, Walter Deshpalj, and William Pleeth.

In 1982, Martti Rousi won the Turku national competition for Finnish cellists. In 1986, he won the second prize of Tchaikovsky's international competition in Moscow.

Since then, Rousi has been playing with different orchestras, as well in Finland as all around the world. He has been accompanied by Goteborg orchestra, Norwegian radio orchestra, München chamber orchestra, Finnish national orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Moscow's orchestra...

From 1989 to 1992, Rousi was the artistic director of Lemi Music Festival. From 1992, he has been asked to become the artistic director of Turku Music Festival. There, as an important figure of Finnish musical life, Martti Rousi boasted a wide network of international contacts and has been able to attract the most prominent guests to perform at the festival.

From 1995 on, Martti Rousi is the professor of cello at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Rousi's students have participated and been successful in national and international competitions. Let's name Roi Ruotinen, Seeli Toivio, Tuomas Djupsjöbacka, Joel Laakso, Mathias Hortling, Jussi Makkonen,...

He has also served very often as a jury member in international competitions like Paulo Cello competition.

Recently, Rousi has been asked to organize next Siba-Fest, the big bi-annual Music Festival of Sibelius Academy that will hold place in 2010.