Kari Turunen was educated at the University of Helsinki and the Sibelius Academy where he studied choral conducting with Matti Hyökki. He has complemented his studies with numerous master classes (with Eric Ericson, Anders Eby, Stefan Sköld, The Hilliard Ensemble and Oren Brown). He holds a doctorate from the University of the Arts, Helsinki on the performance practice of 16th century sacred music.

 

Mr. Turunen is the artistic director of five choirs and ensembles: the male chorus Akademiska Sångföreningen (2008–);Kampin Laulu chamber choir (2011–); the choir of the cantors of the Finnish Lutheran Church, Chorus Cantorum Finlandiae (2011–); the all-male Ensemble Petraloysio (2011–); and Spira Ensemble (2012–). He is also a member of Lumen Valo, a vocal ensemble that is one of the driving forces on the Finnish early music scene.

 

He was awarded the conductor prize at the 2003 Marktoberdorf Chamber Choir competition, where Lyran received third prize in the category for female choirs. Mr. Turunen teaches choral conducting at the Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences, School of Music and heads its choral activities between 2001 and 2011 before concentrating on the roles of conductor and artist-scholar.  He appears regularly as an orchestral conductor, teacher of choral courses and as a journalist specializing in choral music. Mr. Turunen acts as chairman of the Finnish Choral Directors’ Association (FCDA). He was the Choral Conductor of the Year 2008 in Finland.