Hanna Kinnunen

Finnish flutist Hanna Kinnunen is known for her constant exploration of new approaches, whether in performance or teaching. Her extensive experience in contemporary music circles has provided her with opportunities to experiment with performance from many angles — even without the flute at times. Hanna is a founding member of defunensemble and also performs with Zagros and CHANGEnsemble, as well as in the Tulkinnanvaraista concert series.

Before 2014, Hanna led a somewhat more traditional musical life as a flutist in various orchestras. She spent the longest stretch — a total of six years — with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, serving as Principal Flute for the last three of those. She has also played with, among others, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Tampere Philharmonic, and Avanti!

More recently, alongside her artistic work, Hanna has been dedicated to her students at the Sibelius Academy, Käpylä Music Institute, and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. In autumn 2025, she began a fixed-term position as Lecturer at the East Helsinki Music Institute. In both her playing and her teaching, Hanna seeks ways to build bridges between precise instrumental work and free, embodied expression. In recent years, this has led her to explore the relationship between breath, movement, and the flutist’s vocal expression in particular. In her free time, her handstand practice serves as a reminder of what skill development requires: persistent repetition, the courage to try, and creativity.