Sami Junnonen

Sami Junnonen (b. 1977, Tampere, Finland) enjoys a varied and successful career as an internationally acclaimed flutist. His virtuosity, musicality, and comfort within a wide and diverse repertoire has led him to collaborate with an impressive mix of celebrated artists, composers and ensembles.
His 2012 debut recital at the Helsinki Music Centre in his native Finland, and his 2018 solo debut with the Houston Symphony in Texas, USA, conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada, received outstanding reviews. Junnonen officially represented Finland on its centenary as an independent republic on a tour to Russia in December 2017. His complete W.A. Mozart Flute Quartets (Resonus Classics, 2018) with Chamber Domaine won the Audience Award at The Finnish Album of the Year 2018 promoted by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle).

Junnonen’s most recent release, Flute Concertos by Ibert, Jolivet & Rodrigo (Resonus Classics, 2024), was chosen as the Album of the Week by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). The Flute View, the leading American flute magazine, described the album as “a colossal album that will inspire generations to come.”
Junnonen records for Alba Records, Resonus Classics, and SibaRecords. He has also recorded for the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), and Radio New Zealand (RNZ), as well as for Sony BMG, BR-Klassik, Naxos, and Ondine. A prize-winning flutist and respected juror, his artistic work has been supported by major cultural institutions.

In addition to his solo career, Junnonen has worked as principal flutist in several renowned orchestras, including the Iceland Symphony, the Cairo Symphony, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia in the UK. He has taught flute and chamber music performance both at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and at the Fordham University in New York, USA, and has conducted masterclasses throughout the world.

Junnonen studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, the Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse Lyon, the Royal Danish Academy of Music, and in various masterclasses. He holds an MMus degree (2008) with Distinction and Special Prize from the Sibelius Academy, and plays 24-carat and 14-carat gold flutes handcrafted by the Muramatsu Flute MFG. Co., Ltd.
Sami Junnonen is the number one flautist in Finland.
Kare Eskola – Music Journalist, The Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle)
Junnonen is a true, inspiring artist full of talent and knowledge.
His musicianship sets new standards for the flute in decades to come.
Hannu Lintu – Chief Conductor, The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Junnonen keeps impressing his audience with his great talent, technically sovereign, and his intensity and longing for musical expression. He keeps exploring the repertoire and possibilities on the flute, and is showing a remarkable mastery of his instrument throughout the whole range of expression, dynamics, pitch, rhythms.

Emmanuel Pahud – Soloist / EMI Warner Classical exclusive artist / Principal Flute, Berliner Philharmoniker