About Marja

Born in Helsinki, Finland, I began piano studies at age three and made my public debut at age five. I studied music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. My teachers have included the wonderful György Sebök, whose teaching I enjoyed during seven years in Switzerland, and Susan Starr, with whom I studied for several years when I moved to Philadelphia in 1987, where I’ve resided ever since.

An avid chamber musician, recitalist and orchestra soloist, I have performed extensively in the United States, most actively as the pianist of Trio Excelsior, and featured on numerous radio and TV broadcasts including major motion pictures. My musical interests go far beyond performing and teaching. I am the co-founder of the Philadelphia Foundation for World Music and Arts, an advocacy organization promoting the arts and social harmony. Music is the one thing that can show the beautiful and wonderful side of human existence, and therefore a culture cannot survive, let alone develop without the arts.

Currently I am developing a documentary and traveling to China to discover the reasons why the Chinese are showing such a huge interest in learning to play Western classical music. There are much deeper cultural and economic implications in this trend, so stay tuned to my blogs about the subject.