ABOUT LINDA
-Lajos Garam, Doctor of Music and former leader of the Department of
Soloists at the Sibelius Academy, has said that Lampenius "is a sensitive
artistic type and very skillful and experienced as a musician. Her
playing is high-quality and full-blooded".
-For conductor Atso Almila "it was self-evident that she was going to be one of the most
notable Finnish violinists."Linda is very multiply gifted. She has aberrantly lots of capability of expression, strength and artistry and her playing is technically on quite a high level".
-Violinist and conductor Ari Angervo has said that Lampenius "just wanted to learn to play as well as possible, to go as deep as possible into music. To my mind she has succeeded in that. Linda is top talented as a violinist."
-Professor Mauricio Fuks has said that "she has a talent for learning and absorbing new things very quickly -- Linda is very talented and takes her playing seriously -- I am very happy getting to work with a person this sweet. We have been working daily and her playing keeps improving all the time. I would describe Linda as a natural talent, who is at home with the violin."
-Violinist and teacher Päivyt Meller has stated that "Linda is very multiply gifted. She has aberrantly lots of capability of expression, strength and artistry and her playing is technically on quite a high level"
Background
Linda was born into a Swedish-speaking Finnish family in which music
formed a vital part of life. Her father, Börje Lampenius, is a former
theatre director, actor, singer and also a composer of musicals and
operettas. Her mother, Ulla Eklund, is a former actress and singer.
Both of them worked primarily at theSwedish Theatre in Helsinki, but
also on TV and films.
At the age of three, Lampenius started to perform with her parents as a
singer. Later on, Lampenius would play the violin and have her father on
the piano, while her mother sang, in addition to her solo and
orchestral performances. In 1978, Vasabladet reported on Lampenius, a
child violinist to remember, after her impressive solo concert
appearance.
Early years
Lampenius played several instruments in a musical kindergarten, but
focused on the violin at the age of five, under the guidance of Géza
Szilvay, the developer of the Colourstrings Method. Lampenius' career
began as a soloist of the Helsinki Strings at the age of seven with
players two and even three times her age. The Helsinki Junior Strings 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.
Through her childhood, Lampenius toured all around the world.
As a child, she also appeared on Finnish TV numerous times as part of the
artistic-educational TV series Minifiddlers in Musicland (Viuluviikarit Musiikkimaassa) on YLE.
In a fairly rapid succession, Lampenius was awarded a scholarship by the
notable Swedish Cultural Foundation for being such a promising young
violinist, became Concertmistress of the Helsinki Junior Strings and
performed as a soloist of the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Finland at
the age of 11.
Education and orchestral work
Lampenius studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland from 1985 to 1997,
first at the Junior Academy and then at the actual university level
Department of Soloists.
Lampenius studied the violin, music theory and history, pedagogy and opera singing,
having her own violin students as well. She also played in chamber
ensembles, and her Ofelia quartet was chosen to perform at final
concert of the master class by the Amadeus Quartet.
Still a student, Lampenius acquired substantial orchestral experience.
From 1990 through 1997, she served as Concertmistress in the Orchestra
of the Conducting Class, taught by professors Jorma Panula and Eri
Klas. She also served as Concertmistress of the Sibelius Academy
Symphony Orchestra on various occasions, and for three years, she
played in the 1st violin in the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, before
embarking on a solo career.
In addition to the Sibelius Academy, Lampenius has also studied with
professor Mauricio Fuks in the USA as well as taken part in master classes
in France and Israel, including Shlomo Mintz's Keshet Eilon Violin Programme
and with Shmuel Ashkenasi at The Sibelius Academy.
Lampenius has performed chamber music all around Europe, Asia and the USA, working with various pianists, including John Lenehan, Timo Koskinen, Folke Gräsbeck, Laura Mikkola, Carina E. Nilsson and Linn Hendry.
Lampenius has also made many solo appearances with orchestras.
In addition to Finnish and Swedish city orchestras, she has played with La Scala Opera Orchestra and toured with a Prague Symphony Orchestra, which was formed by musicians from two of the biggest classical orchestras in Prague, including the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
"She captivated the audience at the Ulriksdal Palace park with passion --The harmonics, the left- and right-hand pizzicato, the ardour in tone,
the double stops - it was all there", wrote Svenska Dagbladet on her performance of Maurice Ravel's Tzigane with the Stockholm Sinfonietta.
Lampenius has also appeared as a soloist of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to headlining music festivals with José Carreras and Kevin Kenner, Lampenius has also toured with Paul Potts and performed with Andrea Griminelli.
After leaving Finland in 1997, Lampenius has lived in Los Angeles, London and Stockholm.
Lampenius has lived in Sweden since 2002. Her first major concert
tour in the country occurred 1 1/2 year later. The outcome was
successful as critics raved her talent and she managed to break into
the Swedish music scene. "She has been described as a super violinist
with Playboy attraction. When Linda Lampenius takes the stage in light
blue coverings it is completely without prima donna behaviour. With
total stage presence and a bewitched violin she enchants the ears
already from the start and there seems to be no end to the applause
after the entrance performance" wrote Dalarnas Tidningar, while
Göteborgs-Posten reported how Brava's "music potpourri became a display in virtuoso violin playing"and that
"she is undeniably a gifted musician with dazzling technique and a big amount of
charm".
Lampenius has since participated in various concert tours and given concerts all around the country.
In addition to Sweden, Lampenius has continued performing internationally
as well. Some of the special appearances include performances for the
NATO troops in Kosovo, the Rhapsody in Rock show at the Royal Albert Hall in London
and violin concerts in Astana (Kazakhstan), Irkutsk (Siberia) and Dublin, as well as at the Cannes Film Festival.
Lampenius also performs in corporate events on a regular basis, both in the Nordic countries and elsewhere.
With her 1781 Gagliano violin, Lampenius has performed many times for head of states
and royals, including the President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, Prince of Monaco and
the Royal Family of Sweden.
Lampenius has also played for various European and American politicians, including the United States Secretary of Defense William Perry and for some of the Nobel Prizelaureates on the Arctic Circle.
During the years, Lampenius has also performed in numerous benefit concerts, in order to help contribute funds for different
charities.
She has also played the violin at the 150th Anniversary Gala Concert of the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Sweden, and on behalf of Unicef during the White Turfcelebrations
on the frozen Lake St. Moritz in Switzerland.
After seeing a documentary about her on British TV and tracking her
musical pedigree, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Lampenius to take the
lead within Metal Philharmonic. Lampenius 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 Lampenius and Lloyd Webber meant a significant media
exposure for her especially in Europe, including the cover story of
The Sunday Times' Culture supplement.
Thereafter, Lampenius 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 a
headline "Vanessa Mae, Linda does".
While living in England, Lampenius studied, played and recorded pop rock
music with Dave Gregory (the lead guitarist for XTC), Chris Blackwell (drummer for Robert Plant)
and Charlie Jones (bass player for Robert Plant and Jimmy Page), under the guidance of Craig Leon (producer for The Ramones and Blondie), in addition to having her own pop rock band
Violators.
She also worked with Ofra Haza, with whom she recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Their song "Tarab" is the last recording of Haza, who died soon after.
In 2003, Lampenius starred in a variety show "Fantastix" in a theatre
in Stockholm.
Lampenius has since performed in Sweden among others with singers Sofia Källgren, LaGaylia Frazier and Fredrik Lycke in addition to playing with rock and heavy metal bands like Takida and Mustasch.
Lampenius has also worked as a session musician, playing the violin on Celine Dion's album Taking Chances and Samisinger Yana Mangi's album Earth Shadow, which was produced by Kee
Marcello and released in 2010, among many others.
With Jeff Goldblum Lampenius has played and performed jazz music in Los Angeles, in addition to her other jazz performances in New York and Stockholm.
In 2007, Lampenius worked with Anúna in North America. Their award-winning
music special "Celtic Origins" on PBS was broadcast on more than 220 TV stations in the USA,
and it is also available on DVD.
In addition, the Celtic Origins album was North America's Bestselling World Music CD for five
consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Lampenius also took part in Anúna's concert tour across the USA, including concert halls in 42 cities.
In 2010, Lampenius performed with Anuna and RTÉ in the last concert of the RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra's Summer Concert Series, playing works by Turlough
Carolan, Michael William Balfe and Michael McGlynn.
She also appeared as a soloist of the Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestra in the grand finale concert of the 40th Annual Royal Palace Music Festival at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden.
In January 2011, Lampenius toured as a soloist of the Schoenbrunn Palace Orchestra Vienna,
performing in New Year's Concerts in Denmark, Sweden and Finland,
appearing in venues such as the Stockholm Concert Hall and Finlandia Hall.
Over the years, Lampenius has also performed in various sports events. She
has played in national basketball, football and ice hockey matches in
Finland and Sweden, twice at the ATP Champions event at the Royal
Albert Hall in London (televised by the BBC and Eurosport) and
for Formula 1 people in Monaco and Monza.
In the Ericsson Globe, Lampenius has opened up different televised sports events,
including K-1 galas and the 2008 GE Galan, and in Moscow, she has played for Ferrari and Maserati.
For the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in Prague, Lampenius recorded Tre Kronor ("Slå Oss Om Ni Kan"), the official song for the Swedish National Ice Hockey Team.
SOLO ALBUMS:
Album "Linda Lampenius" (Audio Vox)
Lampenius' pop album "Linda Lampenius", which peaked at number 8 on the
Finnish Top Album Chart, was released in 1997. Although the album
was released only in Finland, Lampenius' single "Violator"/"Toccata and
Fugue" got international attention: "Pammi lookalike's great on her
Bach" stated the Daily Mirror and the Daily Record wrote that
"just when interest in violin music was toning down along comes Linda
Lampenius -- the fiddling Finn has taken a major bow -- she is already
a sensation with her version of Bach's Toccata and Fugue".
Also The Sunday Times reported how Lampenius "has enjoyed huge success in Scandinavia
with an up-tempo version of Bach's Toccata and Fugue".
Lampenius has performed material from the album in Finland and abroad,
including Sporting Club in Monaco and televised performances at the
Royal Albert Hall in London and the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
Album "Linda Brava" (EMI Classics)
In 1998, Lampenius started recording her first classical album with John
Lenehan at Abbey Road Studios in London, and the "Linda Brava" album was
released worldwide in 1999, the tracklisting including Edvard Grieg's
Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor as well as lyrical violin miniatures by
Edward Elgar, Gabriel Fauré, Jean Sibelius, Johann Sebastian
Bach-Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet, Niccolò Paganini and Fritz
Kreisler.
The album peaked at number 14 on the UK Classical Chart,
and Lampenius became the biggest selling Finnish classical artist at the time.
Gramophone described the album as "a delightful recital -- played with
such warmth, and an eloquent simplicity of line, that the ear is
instantly beguiled -- a welcome collection". Classic FM Magazine
dedicated its cover story for "Linda Brava, Finland's violin sensation", and wrote
that she plays "with a pleasant, honeyed tone -making the most of her golden-voiced
1781 Galliano violin - and an unaffected grace that will surely win her many friends".
Composer and critic Paul Turok of Turok's Choice thought "the high point of her fine
recital disc with pianist John Lenehan is a strong reading of Grieg's Sonata" while the Evening Standard wrote "her best playing comes in the three short pieces by her countryman Sibelius: The skittish Rondino extracts her quickest fingerwork, the Humoreske Op.87 No.1 wins
her most tortured expression and the Romance Op.78 No.2 sings under her confident touch".
Classic FM UK played music from the album on a daily basis for several weeks, and it was
also noted positively by BBC Radio 3 and ABC Classic FM Australia.
With the album release, Lampenius appeared in various newspapers, magazines and TV
and radio shows all around Europe and the Far East, being featured on the poster on the
back of a red double-decker bus driving on Oxford Street in London as well.
Brava's music video for "Ave Maria" was seen on Classic FM TV, and it was also featured
in the first edition of Classic FM 2003 DVD.
Nowadays, Lampenius' music video can be seen on C Music TV, which
included the video in its August Highlights 2010.
Album "Nordic Light" (Lady Bird)
Lampenius' third album "Nordic Light" was released in the Nordic countries in 2005
and re-released in Sweden in 2008, peaking at number 12 on the Swedish Top Album Chart.
The album is a collection of folk melodies from Finland and Sweden, also including a medley
from the musical Kristina från Duvemåla by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA.
Lampnius was inspired to record the album after her two 25-city concert tours in Sweden
together with Kalle Moraeus, a former violinist of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
Orchestra and one of the most sought-after folk musicians in the country.
On the critically acclaimed album, Lampenius is accompanied by members of Benny Anderssons
Orkester, while Anders Ekborg sings on two tracks.
Album "Angels" (Linda Lampenius Productions)
Lampenius' latest album Angels is a collection of Christmas carols from
Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, England and the United States,
arranged for solo violin, string quartet, harp, and female choir, in
addition to numerous guest artists such as guitarist Ulf Wakenius,
trombonist Nils Landgren, soprano Sofia Källgren and baritone Fredrik Lycke.
The album peaked at number 5 on the Swedish Classical Album Chart, and includes classics
like "Angels We Have Heard on High", "Away in a Manger", "Ding Dong Merrily on High",
"O Holy Night", "Panis Angelicus", and "Silent Night".
"Angels" is the first album released through Brava's own record label Linda Lampenius
Productions. It is Lampenius' first Christmas release.
The album is produced by Lars Nilsson, who also produced Crown
Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel's wedding album, and
Lampenius is the executive producer. The arrangers include Swedish
composers Paula af Malmborg, Olov Helge, and Dan Evmark as well as a
Norwegian composer Tormod Tvete Vik. The featured string quartet is
Hvila from the Gothenburg Symphony, and the female choir is Leif
Strands Damkör from Gothenburg as well. The harpist is Delphine
Constantin from France.
Released in Finland and Sweden, "Angels" has got warm reviews in various
publications. Göteborgs-Posten wrote that Brava is "a good soloist",
who "approaches her music with devotion", and the critic was
especially "fascinated by the strong, melancholic Finnish Christmas
song 'Sylvian joululaulu' ('Sylvia's Christmas Song')". Hallands Nyheter declared that
"musically, the outcome sounds more like a concert recording", and Västerbottens-Kuriren
described the album as "beautiful, caressing and enjoyable, soothing and pleasant",
while Hufvudstadsbladet stated that Lampenius is "a divinely gifted violinist" and
"the performances are high-class".
Furthermore, Rondo-Classica, the biggest classical music magazine in the Nordic
countries, thought the album is Lampenius' "best release so far -- She plays convincingly.
The tone of her Gagliano violin has become more beautiful, and her pretty straightforward
phrasing is completed well by the clang of the harp and the angelic voices of the female choir."
OTHER CAREERS:
Modelling
In 1996, both Björn Borg and Panos Emporio offered Lampenius a modelling
contract, and she became the spokesperson for the Björn Borg fashion
label, appearing in advertisements, fashion shows and other
promotional events in Finland, Sweden and England from 1996 through 1999.
Especially the Björn Borg fashion shows, some of
which were also televised, became popular, and Lampenius drew
international media attention as she was playing the violin while
modelling swimsuits on catwalks. The shows became so popular that when
Brava performed in the NK Stockholm for the first
time, there was a queue outside and some people were unable to see the
show. Brava's televised performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London
in the middle of the 1st ATP Masters tournament between Björn Borg and
John McEnroe made also headlines, and the picture of her in a tiny
black, figure-hugging lycra outfit and red faux fur moon boots was
prominently featured in the papers the following days.
The Swiss watch manufacturer Maurice Lacroix engaged Brava to promote
their Calypso range of watches in England in 2000. In addition to
editorial shoots and posters, Brava also played in various Maurice
Lacroix events, including at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.
Over the years, Brava has also modelled in many magazines, including
Café, Elle, Esquire, GQ, Hello!, Maxim and Playboy.
Acting
Lampenius appeared in a Finnish film classic, Akseli ja Elina, in 1970.
Her mother played the lead and she was her daughter-in-arms. Through
her childhood, Lampenius had small roles among others in productions of
the Swedish Theatre, touring in Sweden and Norway with the theatre
company. Since the 1990s, Lampenius has appeared in few Finnish and
Swedish TV series, including Kadonnut näky, Uuno Turhapuro and
Cleo. Lampenius has also starred in Finnish comedy TV series Kultajukka & kumppanit on YLE.
Among her other roles on the show, she parodied her own public image in Finland, playing the "Media Linda", a stupid
blonde, who carries a violin and invades everywhere in little outfits.
While living in Los Angeles, Lampenius was offered roles in Fame L.A. and Baywatch, and she was also asked to star a
television talk show as its musical guest host.
Lampenius didn't want to sign any long-term contracts, but agreed to appear in one episode
of Fame L.A. as a guest star, playing Ilsa Lundqvist, a Swedish violinist, who ends up playing the violin
at a Christmas party of an art school, having one of the students fall in love with her.
Lampenius also appeared as "guest star" in one episode of Baywatch, in which she portrayed Ariana,
a European violinist in trouble. The episode "Waterdance" was produced by Douglas Schwartz.
Both of the shows used music from Brava's pop album, including pieces "Violator" and "Aquamarine".
Politics
Brava represented the Swedish People's Party and was elected to the
Helsinki City Council for a four-year term in 1996, serving also
as a board member of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1997, Brava was titled as Finland's Tourist Envoy in Sweden as she had increased Swedes' interest in Finland.
Entrepreneur
Lampenius had her own cider brand, Linda Cider, in Finland between 1997 and 2000, selling over 12 million bottles
in two years.
Author
Lampenius' autobiography, "Linda", was published by WSOY in Finland in
2003. In her book, Lampenius talks openly about her upbringing, demanding
violin training, tours around the world, years of success, and severe
personal struggles, including low self-esteem, unhealty relationships,
legal battles against her former American manager and his millionaire
friend, depression and eating disorders.
Over the years, Lampenius has also published some of her diary entries and short stories in Finnish newspapers.
In December 2010, she started blogging abput her life and career on the official website of
Mama magazine in Sweden (
Sports
Lampenius got her rally licence in the 1990s, and has since raced
Sports 2000 series cars and worked as a co-driver in rally
competitions in Finland, in addition to having her own kart racing team.
She has also worked as a commentator for Nordic TV channels
during ice hockey and Formula One meets in Europe.
As for other sports, Lampenius has gone in for alpine skiing (naming Madonna di
Campiglio, Courchevel and Åre as her favorite skiing resorts),
boxing and scuba diving, practicing also archery in Israel.
In 2008, Brava trained Muay Thai in Thailand and made a PR video for the
Fairtex Bangplee training camp. Now she is training Thai boxing and pilates at Stockholm Muay Thai.
Lampenius has also learnt ballroom dances as she participated in Let's
Dance (the Swedish version of Dancing with the Stars) on TV4 in 2008.
Lampenius and her dance partner Daniel da Silva won several rounds of the
competition, but after an injury, came 6th out of 12.
Media
Lampenius first came into the public spotlight as a child prodigy on the
violin, performing on Finnish TV numerous times in the 1970s and 1980s
and being featured in Finnish newspapers, in addition to concert tours
all around Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan. Since the mid-1990s, she
has been one of the most famous celebrities in Finland, being also one
of the best known Finnish personalities in Sweden, her current home
country.
Since 1997, Lampenius has been featured in numerous TV programmes all
around the world, as "Linda Lampenius" and "Linda Brava". Channel 4's documentary about her has been aired all
around Europe and Japan, while the documentary by CBS' Inside
Edition was broadcast in the USA.
Lampenius has also starred in a music special by Rai Uno, the biggest TV channel in Italy, and the
concert was broadcast in 160 countries worldwide, while her solo
orchestral appearance with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales was televised for Britain.
In 2007, Lampenius appeared as a violin soloist in Anúna's Celtic Origins music special on PBS, which aired
the show on more than 220 TV statios across the USA.
Lampenius has also been featured in news programmes on ABC, the BBC, CNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel,
including BBC Breakfast and The O'Reilly Factor, the most-watched cable news show in the USA.
Lampenius has also been featured in light entertainment shows, including on E! Entertainment.
With her classical album release, Lampenius visited several TV shows in Europe and the Far East, performing even
for 200 million TV viewers at a time.
As for publications, Lampenius has been featured in the cover stories of The Sunday Times,
Classic FM Magazine, Playboy and many others.
Both American Elle and Details chose Brava (Lampenius) as the Best Newcomer in Music in 1998, and she has since been
featured in numerous other fashion, lifestyle and entertainment magazines as well,
including Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, GQ, Hello!, Maxim and Vogue.
The Times has stated her to be "the gifted Finnish classical violinist", who is "brilliant" and "acclaimed by
critics", while The Sunday Times stated "she plays like Nigel Kennedy".
Brava (Lampenius) has also been called "a striking Finnish blonde with impeccable musical credentials" by the Los Angeles Daily News
and "Finnish Phenom" by the New York Post.
Additionally, she has been called a "virtuoso violinist" by both The Guardian and The Independent.
Billed as the Bach Babe in tabloids in the UK, Brava has been featured in the front page
article of The Sun, while she has also been featured in such British publications as Classic CD, the Daily Mail,
the Evening Standard, Q, The Daily Telegraph and The European.
In 2010, Lampenius was one of the judges of the 1st season of X Factor (in Finland), a
singing competition based on Simon Cowell's The X Factor franchise.