Pauli Paananen (25) studied with Peter Brunt and Maria Milstein at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. From 2024 to 2026, he will serve as an apprentice with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, respectively. In addition, he regularly performs solo and chamber music concerts both in the Netherlands and abroad.
My name is Pauli, and I started playing the violin at the age of five as a student of both my parents. Soon after, I also began taking lessons from Hans Scheepers in Amstelveen. In 2013, I joined the North Holland Youth Orchestra, where I enjoyed myself so much that, upon finishing high school, I decided to attend the conservatory, where I studied with Peter Brunt and Maria Milstein. I’ve also enjoyed playing chamber music since I was young, but symphonic music remains my passion. During my studies, I played extensively in student orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, and starting in 2024, I will be an academist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, respectively.
While pursuing my master’s degree at the CvA, it was time to find a better instrument on which I could continue to develop my skills. That’s how I ended up at the Musical Instrument Fund, where I was first able to play a beautiful Johannes Bernardus Cuypers. This instrument had a very fine, warm tone that I felt very comfortable with, but after I graduated, I realized that I was starting to reach the limits of this instrument as well. Fortunately, a beautiful Darche became available at that time, and I now enjoy playing it very much!
