STAMFORD MUSIC & ARTS ACADEMY
Fairfield County's Elite Conservatory Music Program
Kalle Toivio (born in Lahti, Finland) has performed as soloist and chamber musician in his native country Finland and around the globe. With his sister, cellist Seeli Toivio, he has worked for years. They performed on a long concert tour in Japan in 2003, and in 2007 they performed at a televised concert at the international Servais Festival in Belgium. In Winter 2009 Kalle Toivio performed together in New York (USA) with his sister, cellist Seeli Toivio and her husband, saxophonist Olli-Pekka Tuomisalo.
In Spring 2006 Kalle Toivio was touring in Moldovia and Romania. Kalle Toivio has regularly performed at the Mänttä Music Festival (Finland) since the festival was founded in 1999.
As an organist, Kalle Toivio has performed in Finland and USA. Along with his solo career, Kalle Toivio is also a versatile chamber musician. He has also performed with opera singers, e.g. with barytone Juha Kotilainen, and sopranos Ilona Jokinen and Anna Immonen. Kalle Toivio has performed at the Finnish National Radio (YLE) and the English BBC. Along with organ and piano, Kalle Toivio's musical interests include church music and early music.
Kalle Toivio started his musical education at the Lahti Conservatory of Music. His first piano teachers were Mr. Rauno Jussila and Ms. Lea Terno-Kivilä. In music theory and solfege his teacher was Mr. Eero Hakkarainen, a pioneer of the Kodály Method.
As a 11-year-old, Kalle Toivio continued his studies at the Youth Department of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki (Finland) with Ms. Hui-Ying Tawaststjerna. In 1991–1993 Kalle Toivio studied at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest (Hungary) with prof. Laszló Barányay. Kalle Toivio also studied at the Piano Music Department of the Sibelius Academy with prof. Matti Raekallio. Kalle Toivio graduated with a piano diploma of highest score in 2002.
From 2002 Kalle Toivio has studied piano in New York (USA) with Ms. Nina Svetlanova, a student of Heinrich Neuhaus. Kalle Toivio has a Master of Music degree from Sibelius Academy in 2004. In 2005, after he had finished his military service in the Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces in Lahti (Finland) as a lance corporal, he started his studies at the Church Music Department of the Sibelius Academy – majoring in organ playing – with the well-known Finnish organist Mr. Ville Urponen.
After such versatile studies Kalle Toivio, a Master of Music in Piano Performance, received Bachelor of Music degree from the Department of Church Music in the spring of 2008. Since the fall of 2008 Kalle Toivio has studied organ at the Manhattan School of Music with prof. McNeil Robinson. Kalle Toivio received his Master of Music degree in Organ Performance in May of 2010. He had the honor to perform as the organist of Manhattan School of Music 84th Commencement at the Riverside Church in New York City. Kalle Toivio was honored with the Bronson Ragan Award, given to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding ability in organ peformance. In the spring of 2010 Kalle Toivio was accepted to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree- program at the Manhattan School of Music. Kalle Toivio has received scholarships and grants from Finlandia Foundation Metropolitan Chapter, Manhattan School of Music, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Cultural Foundation of Päijät-Häme, and the Foudation of Jenny and Antti Wihuri. Kalle Toivio was recipient of the American Scandinavian Society's Cultural Grant for 2009-2010. Kalle Toivio has had successes in many Finnish and international piano competitions. In 1992 he represented Finland at the Eurovision Young Soloists Concert in Valencia (Spain). In 1998 he was a finalist at the Eurovision Young Soloists Competition in Vienna (Austria).
