Mirka Hoppari

Mirka was born in Kemi in Northern Finland.  Her first professional engagement was with Kemi Symphony Orchestra whilst still a teenager. After starting her musical studies at Oulu Conservatoire for 3 years, she then moved to Malmö Academy of Music in Sweden, where she studied with Henrik Frendin. She was also a member of the Nordic Youth Orchestra; an orchestra comprising the most talented young musicians from across all the Nordic countries, as well as Campo Vesuvio Chamber Orchestra in Italy.

She studied at the Royal College of Music, London, on an exchange programme with IvoJan van der Werff, a member of the world-renowned Medici Quartet. Mirka finished her studies at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark, where she obtained a Masters degree in music performance. During her time in Denmark, she worked regularly with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, and with the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra. Her orchestral playing has taken her to many countries across Europe, and she has appeared on live television performing for the Queen of  Denmark and the royal family.

Mirka works as a freelance performer and has worked with Southern Sinfonia, Heritage Opera, Chameleon Arts Orchestra, English Pro Musica and Limelight Orchestra. She is an experienced session musician and performed live with Michael Ball, The Glenn Miller Orchestra UK, Indiana, Natalie Duncan, Saint Raymond.

In August 2016 Mirka led a charity project in Nepal, teaching violin to children in Kushadevi School with the organisation “Freedom to Learn”, a UK-based charity working to provide the opportunity of education to children from some of the remotest regions of the Himalayas and South Asia.

Mirka currently plays on a custom-made viola made in 2005 by Marcus Klimke. This has been made possible thanks to a scholarship awarded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.