Linda Lampenius, also known as Linda Brava, made her stage debut at the tender age of three. By eight she had become an accomplished violinist and thus began a life of touring that has taken her all over the world. Linda has released four solo albums and made numerous television appearances in Europe, the USA and Asia. She was a guest star on Baywatch. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Linda to perform as the soloist in ”Metal Philharmonic” in England. Linda is accoladed for ”singing” on her beautiful Gagliano 1781 violin.
EARLY YEARS
EARLY YEARS
Music has been a big part of Linda’s life from the very beginning. Linda grew up in a theatre family. Her father is a former theatre director, actor, singer and composer. Linda’s mother is a former actress and singer.
Linda joined a music kindergarten at the age of three and took her first violin lesson as a five-year-old. She studied with Hungarian professor Gèza Szilvay.
As a child Linda appeared numerous times on Finnish TV as part of the artistic-educational TV series ”Minifiddlers in Musicland”, introducing the Colourstrings Method, developed by Gèza and Csaba Szilvay. http://www.colourstrings.fi
At the age of eight Linda toured for the first time with the Helsinki Strings, which has been named as one of the best youth orchestras in the world and Max Rostal as well as Yehudi Menuhin have both served as its patrons.
Linda toured in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece, USA, Canadaand Japan with The Helsinki Strings and the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra.
In fairly rapid succession, Linda was awarded a scholarship by the notable Swedish Cultural Foundation for being such a promising young violinist and she became the concertmaster of the Helsinki Strings.
EDUCATION
Linda studied at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki from 1985 to 1997, with Ari Angervo and Nachum Erlich at the Sibelius Academy’s youth department and with Päivyt Meller at the university level department for soloists. Linda studied the violin, chamber music, music theory, music history, violin teaching pedagogy, opera singing and chamber music. Her quartet ”Ofelia” attended a master class with the Amadeus Quartet and were offered to study in London. Unfortunately the quartet couldn’t take the offer at the time.
Still a student, Linda acquired substantial orchestral experience. From 1990 through 1997, she served as concertmaster of the Sibelius Academy Conducting Class orchestra. Linda was concertmaster of the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra on various occasions and she played in the Finnish National Opera Orchestra for three years, before embarking on a solo career.
In addition to Sibelius Academy, Linda has studied with professor Mauricio Fuks in Indianapolis and attended numerous master classes in Finland, France and Israel, including Keshet Eilon String Mastercourse.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Linda has performed all around Europe, Asia and the USA. She has collaborated and given recitals with Finnish, Swedish and English pianists, including John Lenehan, Linn Hendry, Timo Koskinen, Folke Gräsbeck, Risto Lauriala, Arto Satukangas and Laura Mikkola. She has performed as a soloist with several Finnish and Swedish orchestras, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the La Scala Opera Orchestra, the RTÈ National Symphony Orchestra, Schoenbrunn Palace Orchestra and toured as a soloist with Paul Potts accompanied by a Prague based Symphony Orchestra, formed by musicians from two of the biggest orchestras in Prague, including the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Linda’s classical album ”Linda Brava” was released world wide in 1999. She toured in Asia and Europe promoting the album. At the time Linda was the most selling Finnish classical artist in the world. Linda’s concert with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales was televised on BBC.
In 2003 Linda went on her first major concert tour in Sweden. The outcome was very successful as critics raved her talent.
Linda has since participated in various concert tours and given concerts in most concerthalls and stadiums around Sweden, performing with artists like violinist Kalle Moraeus, pianist Robert Wells, pianist Carina E. Nilsson, pianist Love Derwinger, soprano Sofia Källgren, soprano Hannah Holgersson, harpist Monica Ramos, pop singer Molly Sandén, pop singer Sanna Nielsen, singer and actress Pernilla Wahlgren, baryton Fredrik Lycke and baryton Fredrik Benedict Nybladh.
In 2007 Linda played as a special guest soloist in Anúna’s ”Celtic Origins” project, which included the multi award winning PBS music special aired on more than 200 TV channels across the USA, two-month concert tour in USA and CD/DVD releases. The ”Celtic Origins” album was North America’s Bestselling World Music CD for five consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and the bestselling CD in all categories at Borders for the entire month of August 2007.
PERFORMANCES
Linda performs at corporate events on a regular basis, performing classical music, pop music, rock music and folk music. Every performance is custom made. She performs with singers, pianists, harpists, chamber groups, orchestras, pop bands and rock bands.
Linda has performed for head of states and royals, including former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, Furst Rainier and Prince Albertof Monaco and the Royal Family of Sweden on numerous occasions.
She has also played for various European and American politicians, including the United States Secretary of Defense William Perry, and for some of the Nobel Prize laureates on the Arctic Circle.
Linda has played at numerous TV shows and concerts all around the world, for example RAI Uno’s show ”Torna a Surriento” and PBS Special”Celtic Origins”.
Linda often performs at charity events, in order to help contribute funds for different charities. She has played at the 150th Anniversary Gala Concert of the Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Sweden, Project Playground’s galas in Stockholm, Göteborg and Örnsköldsvik, ”Humorgalan” on TV4, Lastenklinikoiden kummit’s TV galas ”Joulun Tähti” and ”Joulu Mielelle” and on behalf of Unicef during the White Turf celebrations in St. Moritz in Switzerland.
Linda has head lined a variety show called Fantastix in a theatre in Stockholm.
Some of Linda’s special appearances include performances for the KFOR troops in Kosovo, the Rhapsody in Rock show at the Royal Albert Hall in London and at the Cannes Film Festival. violin concerts in Kazakhstan and Siberia.
Over the years Linda has performed at various sports events. She has played at ice hockey, soccer and basketball games in Finland and Sweden, twice at the ATP Champions event at the Royal Albert Hall in London (televised by the BBC and Eurosport) and at Formula 1events in Monaco and Monza. In the Ericsson Globe, Linda has been the opening act at different televised sports events, including K-1 galas and the 2008 GE Gala in Stockholm. In Moscow Linda’s played for Ferrari and Maserati. Linda plays on “Tre Kronor – Slå Oss Om Ni Kan”, the official song for the Swedish National Ice Hockey Team at Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships in Prague in 2004.
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber handpicked Linda to play the lead in Metal Philharmonic. Linda performed the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman symphony together with an orchestra, a choir, a band and a group of dancers at the 23rd Sydmonton Festival. The collaboration between Linda and Lloyd Webber meant a significant media exposure for her especially in Europe, including the cover story of The Sunday Times’ Culture supplement. Thereafter, Linda also became known as the Bach Babe in tabloids in the UK, and The Sun ran a front page article on her, rating her above Vanessa-Mae with headline ”Vanessa Mae, Linda does”.
