Petri Ikkelä
Bandonéon
Petri Ikkelä, born 1965, commands special interest among the Finnish musicians as a master of a multitude of free reed instruments ranging from 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-row accordions, free bass accordions to the concertina, the symphonium, the accordina and the bandoneon. He graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 1998 where he studied solo performance and folk music. Already in 1981 he shared the first prize for under sixteen years old in the national accordion competition at the Young Arts event and took the
Finnish folk musician championships in the general class in 1984.
Petri has performed as a soloist and a member of an ensemble throughout Europe and in USA, Malaysia, North Korea and Egypt.
Today he is a freelance musician, teacher, arranger, composer and conductor playing in various light, classical and folk music line-ups. His dedication and exploration into the many levels of accordion music has brought new international currents into Finnish music scene, combining them with tradition in a delightful manner.