Martti Pokela

Martti Pokela, skilled on the five-stringed kantele that resembles a harp, has steadily broadened the range of what the instrument can achieve. Although his early efforts centered on the pelimanni style rooted in Finland’s countryside, he has gone on to explore an expanding array of musical genres with the kantele.

Pokela maintains an active performing career while also serving as an educator. He became the first kantele player on the faculty of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, starting in the music education department in 1975, and he continues to teach in the academy’s folk music department. Among his former students are Timo Vaananen, Sinikka Kontio, Matti Kontio, Arja Kastinen, and Minna Raskinen.