Harri Kuusijärvi

Harri Kuusijärvi (b. 1986) has explored accordion music with an exceptionally wide angle. He has forged a formidable reputation for performing con­temporary repertoire for solo accordion, and has given concerts in several stages in Europe and Africa.

Kuusijärvi is actively working with many different ensembles of chamber, theater, world, pop, jazz and improvised music. His solo programs focus on contemporary repertoire. In 2011 Kuusijärvi was awar­ded the 2nd prize in Arrasate Hiria, one of world’s most prestigious international ac­cordion contests. Kuusijärvi has worked in productions of Finnish National Theatre and Helsinki City Theatre among many others. He’s an active member of such bands as Koutus, Narinkka, Zazambor, Frost V, Ville Vokkolainen & Kadotettujen Paratiisi and Tango à la Yona. His first solo album Koutus (2014) has been internationally acclaimed by the critics. Kuusijärvi has premiered accordion works of Timo Alakotila, Sergio Castrillón, Jussi-Matti Haavisto, Pasi Lyytikäinen, Artturi Rönkä, Lauri Supponen, Ville Vokkolainen and Sauli Zinovjev.

Kuusijärvi is a visiting lecturer in improvisation in the Sibelius Academy and a teacher of pop-jazz accordion in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. He has studied contemporary accordion with Veli Kujala, Matti Rantanen and Mika Väyrynen in the Sibelius Academy.