Julia Mustonen. Biography.

Born in Siberia in 1976, Julia started to play  the piano at age of three under the guidance of her mother, Lidia Mustonen.

She has studied  in Sibelius-Academy in Helsinki and Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg. Her  "Akademischer Grad Diplom-Pianist" she did in Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin. She continued her postgraduation studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Musik, Dublin in "Performace Artist" program, in Granados-Marshall Academy , Barcelona in "Master of Spanish Music" program and since 2005 in  Stockholm Royal Academy of Music in "Advanced Master" Soloist-Diploma program.

Her main teachers have been Erik T. Tawaststjerna in Helsinki, Vitali Berzon in Freiburg, Laszlo Simon in Berlin, John O'Conor in Dublin, Alicia de Larrocha in Barcelona and Staffan Scheja in Stockholm.
Julia has also participated in masterclasses with  Dominique Merlet, Klaus Hellwig and Olli Mustonen.

Regular concerts she started to give in really early age and has since performed extensively in Russia (Siberian region), central Europe and Scandinavia. She has aslo performed as a soloist  with numerous orchestras and appeared in various music Festivals, charity concerts, TV and Radio. In the year 2001 she performed the Russian Debut of Einar Englund´s Piano Concerto nr 1 with Krasnoyarsk Philarmonic orchestra. In year 2006-2007 will perform Complete Works by C. Debussy in Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

Julia has also had success in piano competitions; she has claimed top prizes at several domestic and international competitions and she in the winner of  Nordic Bluethner Piano Competition  in 2004, where she was awarded new Bluethner Grand Piano model 6  and in year 2006 she was invited to play in "World Piano Masters of Monte Carlo" competition, where she acclaimed the group of top four, performing two different solo recitals at the Monte Carlo Opera.

She was also awarded by Kordelini Foundation (2002 and 2006), Jenny ja Antti Wihuri Foundation (2001 and 2003) and Culture Foundation in Finland (2005), Società Dante Alighieri in Stockholm,  Anders Wall Foundation in Sweden and the Finnish Performing Music Promotion Centre in Finland (2006)