Martta Kunnola wins third prize at the International Hindemith Viola Competition
20-year-old Finnish violist Martta Kunnola won third prize, worth €2,000, at the International Hindemith Viola Competition. The competition took place from October 8 to 15 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, with Prof. Hartmut Rohde (UdK) chairing the high-caliber jury.
Martta Kunnola has been studying for her bachelor's degree in Prof. Nils Mönkemeyer's class at the Eisler since the 2025 summer semester. Previously, she studied with Prof. Mönkemeyer at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts and as a junior student at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. She supplemented her musical education by participating in master classes with Pauline Sachse and Silvia Simionescu, among others.
In 2023, she was awarded first prize at the Stockholm International Music Competition in Sweden. In 2022, she also received the Young Artist Award at the Oulu National Viola Competition in Finland. She gained orchestral experience with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in Finland, among others. In 2023, she was also principal violist of the Concertgebouworkest Young in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The International Hindemith Viola Competition was initiated by the Walter Witte Viola Foundation and is held in cooperation with the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. It is aimed at young viola players and supports them in their musical development.