Sini Linnea Ström, Master of Music, is a Finnish accordion artist and the founder of the Rantaraitti Soi! festival, which was held in Espoo from 2021 to 2024. She has a particular interest in contemporary music and collaboration with composers, which has resulted in new works by Sebastian Dumitrescu, Cecilia Damström, Tommi Paavilainen, Tze Yeung Ho, and Dante Thelestam.
In addition to contemporary music, Ström performs a wide range of music from different eras. When playing repertoire not originally composed for the accordion, she always seeks a fresh approach to the pieces, aiming to avoid an overly rigid interpretation of the original work. Ström performs with various ensembles in diverse projects, the strangest of which took her to perform outdoors in heavy rain one December. She is particularly fascinated by the possibilities of exploratory art-making and different opera productions, both in contemporary music and new interpretations of operas from different periods, as well as transcriptions of works from past centuries. Her strengths include an endless curiosity and interest in all musical styles, and she is always ready to jump into new projects or create her own.
The year 2022 opened the door to orchestral work for Ström, and she has since performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, and Kymi Sinfonietta. Ström is also passionate about both pop-jazz singing and choral singing, and during her master's studies, she took pop-jazz vocal studies and participated in choral projects as a minor. As a result of her interest in singing, she has already gathered a collection of her own compositions and lyrics, which are still waiting to see the light of day.
Pedagogy, and especially accordion pedagogy, is an essential part of Ström’s professional calling. She serves as the chairperson of the Finnish Accordion Teachers' Association and teaches accordion at the Eastern Helsinki Music Institute. Most importantly, she teaches accordion pedagogy at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, where she is actively advancing the field of Finnish accordion pedagogy.
