Antto Tunkkari began his cello studies at the age of five in his hometown of Kokkola. He graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy in 2024. Tunkkari completed his exchange studies with Prof. Enrico Bronzi at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. Important mentors during his studies have been Lauri Pulakka and Tuomas Lehto. Tunkkari has also participated in master classes in Finland and elsewhere in Europe.
Tunkkari considers chamber music to be a particularly important part of his musicianship, which contributed to his founding the Kokkola SyysKamari festival together with his friend Pauli Pappinen in 2018. Both still serve as artistic directors of the festival. Tunkkari is also the cellist of the Hai Quartet, which specialises in contemporary music, and as a member of the quartet he has premiered music by many important Finnish composers. Tunkkari has also performed as a chamber musician at numerous Finnish festivals.
As an orchestral musician, Tunkkari is a familiar face in the cello sections of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Finnish National Opera Orchestra, Lapland Chamber Orchestra and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra.
Tunkkari plays a Vinzenco Postiglione cello from the Finlandssvenska instrumentfond. Tunkkari has also studied baroque cello both at the Novia University of Applied Sciences in the baroque department under Lauri Pulakka and at the Sibelius Academy under Markku Luolajan-Mikkola.