Pannon Philharmonic

The Finnish Cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson is one of the most outstanding and sought after soloist and chamber musician in the international music world today. He began his studies with Markku Luolajan-Mikkola at the West Helsinki Music Institute. He studied further with Mikhail Homitzer and Frans Helmerson at the Edberg-Musikinstitut in Stockholm, completing his Soloist Diploma examination in 1992.
At the age of fifteen, Gustafsson placed well in the EBU Young Musician competition in Copenhagen, and since then he has performed world wide both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He has appeared with countless distinguished orchestras such as the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Bournemouth SO, the Berlin RSO, Halle Orchestra (Germany), Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Hobart Symphony Orchestra in Australia, the Netherlands RSO, the Danish RSO, the Swedish RSO and the Stockholm Philharmonic, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Chamber Orchestra, the Washington National SO, the New York and Vienna Chamber Orchestras, Camerata Bern and the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, to name a few. He has appeared with nearly all Finnish and Scandinavian orchestras in addition to this.
As a soloist, Jan-Erik Gustafsson has collaborated with some of the most outstanding maestros, including Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Okko Kamu, Leif Segerstam, Leonid Grin, Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Andrew Litton, Daniel Harding, Mikko Franck, Osmo Vänskä, and many others.
In 1994, Jan-Erik Gustafsson signed a contract with the American YCA Agency. Consequently, he regularly gives solo recitals on tour in the USA, Europe and the Far East at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Brahms Hall in Vienna, Barbican Hall , Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London,  Zurich Tonhalle, Finlandia Hall,  Estonia Concert Hall, Lausanne Concert Hall, and many more. At chamber music festivals worldwide, he has collaborated with Pinchas Zukerman, Christian Tetzlaff, Ralf Gothóni, Barnabás Kelemen, Leif-Ove Andsnes, Paavali Jumppanen,Arto Satukangas, Leonidas Kavakos, Liana Isakadze, Ivry Gitlis, and countless others.
In 1997, Jan-Erik Gustafsson received a personal invitation from maestro Mstislav Rostropovich to perform the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante at the Cello Congress with the St. Petersburgh Philharmonic Orchestra in St. Petersburgh, Russia.
Jan-Erik Gustafsson has famously recorded the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and maestro Sakari Oramo, receiving outstanding praise and critique from all over the world (Washington Post calling the performance “being set ablaze with fury and grandeur”.)
Jan-Erik Gustafsson has made several recordings for Ondine, claiming worldwide critical acclaim and praise for his interpretations. His disc featuring Cello Sonatas by Szymanowski, Kodály and Schnittke (ODE 827-2) was nominated Record of the Year in 1994 and his Englund Cello Concerto disc (ODE 951-2) was nominated Record of the year in Scandinavia.
Jan-Erik Gustafsson has given numerous master classes in Europe, USA and Asia, and currently teaches at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland.
Since 1996 Jan-Erik Gustafsson is the artistic director of the Loviisa Sibelius Festival in Finland, bringing together a selection of the finest musicians of our generation.
Jan-Erik Gustafsson has an extreme devotion towards the future generation regarding education, and has a long line of students following him in master classes as well as in academic institutions (for ex. Sibelius Academy, Estonian Music Academy, Stavanger Festival, and many others.) He is currently a professor of cello at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland.
Jan-Erik Gustafsson currently plays on a cello by Stefano Scarampella from 1890.