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The Finnish baritone and cellist, Jussi Lehtipuu, studied both voice and cello at the prestigious Finnish institution Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and continued his vocal training Conservatorium van Amsterdam, graduating with a master’s degree. He further specialized in opera at the Dutch National Opera Academy, completing his master's degree in 2009 with a performance as Guglielmo in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte.
Since completing his studies in Amsterdam, Jussi Lehtipuu has performed a wide repertoire throughout Europe. His versatility took him through different styles, from early music to contemporary, even experimental artistry. He has sung the most beloved renessaince and baroque works with top notch orchestras, Les Talens Lyriques (Director: Christophe Rousset) & Ensemble Matheus in France, Holland Baroque & Nederlandse Bachvereniging (Director: Jos van Veldhoven / Shunske Sato) in (his country of residence) the Netherlands, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra (Director: Aapo Häkkinen) & Finnish Baroque Orchestra (Director: Markku Luolajan-Mikkola) in Finland and with countless other ensembles (Vox Luminis (Director: Lionel Meunier), Apollo Ensemble, Ensemble Nylandia, I Dodici, Harp Consort) at various festivals and venues.
His operatic roles are also stylistically diverse, including Apollo & Plutone in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, Guglielmo in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème and Elder Brother in Benjamin Britten's The Prodigal Son. As a counterweight to opera, the most intimate music in the form of lied repertoire keeps him keen on performing songs by Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Charles Gounod etc. These and more with several pianists, fortepianists and chamber ensembles.
The uncompromising attitude towards new expressions and the wide vocal range have given him the opportunity to premiere contemporary works by Jamie Man, Maija Ruuskanen, Riikka Talvitie, Meriç Artaç, Lauri Kilpiö & Raphaël Cendo. In general, he is not afraid to perform demanding comtemporary music, often adding a staged dimension: the best examples are H.W. Henze’s El Cimarrón or Cl. Vivier’s Kopernikus, the latter performed as part of the Opera Forward Festival of De Nederlandse Opera. During the pandemic his own exploration to create a new art form combining singing, cello playing and comtemporary dance was supported by the Kone Foundation. |
