Joonas Pekonen is a sought-after leader in Finland and has recently been invited to work as a concertmaster with Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Since Autumn of 2025, Pekonen has been a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
Joonas has appeared in a variety of festivals both in Finland and abroad. These include IMS Prussia Cove ‘Open Chamber’, JAM on the Marsh, and the ROSL Summer Place Festival in the UK, the Beethovenfest Bonn in Germany and Kokkolan Syyskamari in Finland. In the Autumn of 2024 he appeared in the ‘Music of Today’ series at the Royal Festival Hall performing music by Kaija Saariaho and Hans Abrahamsen. He was also recently invited to the O/Modernt Summer Festival in Stockholm.
Joonas was the first violinist of the Picea Quartet, with whom he won the St James’ Chamber Prize of 2021. The quartet studied with Levon Chilingirian and Ursula Smith at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Recent soloist engagements include the Tallis Chamber Orchestra in the UK, and earlier this season he performed the Mendelssohn violin concerto at the Kuwait Opera House.
Joonas attended the Sibelius Academy Junior Department and later continued his studies with Merit Palas and Tero Latvala. After completing his Bachelor’s degree, he received scholarships to continue his studies with Krysia Osostowicz at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.
Joonas plays on an Antonio Baldantoni violin (1865) loaned to him by the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation. He is thankful for the generous support from the Martin Wegelius Memorial Foundation and the Jenny & Antti Wihuri Foundation.
Photo Anna Maria Viksten