Christoffer Sundqvist (b. 1978) began his clarinet studies with Bernhard Nylund at the Pietarsaari Conservatory. He completed his diploma examination with Anna-Maija Korsimaa at the Sibelius Academy in 2002 and went on to study with Professor François Benda at the Basel Music Academy. He has also attended masterclasses given by Hans Rudolf Stalder, Guy Deplus, Charles Neidich and Ronald van Spaendonck, and he has studied chamber music with a number of distinguished musicians.

He won shared first prize at the Crusell Clarinet Competition in 2004. He has also received the Pro Musica medal and first prize in the Juvenalia chamber music competition in Espoo. In 2004, he was awarded an artist grant by the Finnish National Council for Music.

Christoffer Sundqvist was nominated débutant of the year by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2004. He has appeared as a soloist with the symphony orchestras of Kuopio, Oulu, Vaasa and Lappeenranta and with the Kymi Sinfonietta.  His foreign appearances include those with Sinfonieorchester Basel and the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra in Lithuania. He has worked with conductors such as John Storgårds, Sakari Oramo, Okko Kamu, Juha Kangas and Hannu Lintu. In season 2007-2008, he appeared at the 35th anniversary concert of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and premiered the Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola by Aulis Sallinen together with Tommi Aalto.

He is also an active chamber musician, being a founding member of the Arktinen hysteria (‘Arctic hysteria’) wind quintet and a member of the Plus ensemble based in Turku. He has also appeared in Finland and abroad with the Kodály Quartet, the New Helsinki Quartet, the Tempera Quartet, Bella Davidovich, Dmitri Sitkovetsky, Pekka Kuusisto, Sakari Oramo, Paavali Jumppanen and Philippe Graffin. In summer 2007, he appeared at a concert of chamber music by Magnus Lindberg at the Helsinki Festival and in Spring 2008 he premiered the clarinet trio by Magnus Lindberg in Helsinki.

Christoffer Sundqvist has given the world premieres of Clarinet Concertos by Markus Fagerudd and Sebastian Fagerlund. With his chamber music ensembles, he has premiered numerous new Finnish works by P.H. Nordgren, Sampo Haapamäki, Atso Almila and others.

He has played principal clarinet with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2005. Christoffer Sundqvist teached clarinet at the Sibelius Academy and gives master courses regularly.

2/2009

photo: Heikki Tuuli