Hej,

Bio

Annika Lyytikäinen (b. 1995) is a Finland-Swedish clarinetist, composer, and folk musician whose artistic work is based on Nordic and Jewish traditional music. Mastering several European clarinet styles, she is not only an expert in folk clarinet playing, but also a versatile ensemble member, composer, and educator.

Annika holds a Master’s degree in Folk Music from the Sibelius Academy (University of the Arts, Helsinki), during which she also studied privately for three years with klezmer clarinetist Susi Evans. She has further deepened her expertise in klezmer and Yiddish music through multiple masterclasses at Klezfest London, Yiddish Summer Weimar, and KlezKanada.

In 2014 Annika co-founded the duo Aléa together with kantele player Aurora Visa. Besides Aléa, Annika also regularly performs as a solo musician, as well as with the projects Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye and Gränsland. Earlier, she has also recorded and performed music with ensembles such as Kymen Biisiuittamo, Helsinki Middle Eastern Orchestra, and SibA Folk Big Band.

As a composer, Annika draws inspiration from folk musicians that came before her, weaving together an organic, multilingual synthesis of musical idioms, shifting between chamber and folk music. Her work Höra for clarinet, string quartet and tape was first performed in 2021, and has been warmly received also by classical audiences at venues such as the Sibelius Museum (Turku) and the Sibelius Music Festival (Loviisa).

Currently, Annika’s work is sponsored by a one-year artist grant from Svenska Kulturfonden, allowing her to dig deeper into Nordic folk clarinet traditions, write new music, and pursue new endeavors with her duo Aléa.