Jukka Harju, a Finnish horn player, made his debut as a soloist at the age of 11, performing at a European Broadcasting Union concert in Dublin with the RTÉ Orchestra. His remarkable talent soon brought him to the attention of leading Finnish orchestras, as well as the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra, both under the direction of Claudio Abbado.
Harju achieved success in numerous international music competitions, including winning the Lieksa International Horn Competition, which led to his being named Brass Player of the Year in Finland in 2006. Two years later, he was appointed principal horn of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared as guest principal horn with renowned orchestras including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Leonore Orchestra in Italy, and the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra (Hovkapellet).
As a horn soloist, Harju has performed not only the core repertoire by Mozart, Strauss, Glière, and Schumann, but also modern masterpieces by György Ligeti and Oliver Knussen. A particular highlight was performing Knussen’s Horn Concerto under the composer’s own baton, in what proved to be Knussen’s final performance of the work before his death.
Harju has given the Finnish premieres of horn concertos by Wolfgang Plagge and York Bowen, as well as world premieres of works written specifically for him, including Kirmo Lintinen’s Concertino (2008), Aulis Sallinen’s Five Female Portraits for Horn, Soprano, and Orchestra (2013), and Osmo Tapio Räihälä’s Horn Concerto (2016). Harju’s recording of Pehr Henrik Nordgren’s Horn Concerto was nominated for Best Classical Recording in Finland in 2018. His recording of Bach’s Cello Suites Nos. 1–3 has also gained recognition within the international horn community.
In addition to his performing career, Harju is a respected teacher at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. He is widely recognized for his expertise and is regularly invited to give masterclasses across Europe. He has also performed extensively as a chamber musician and recitalist around the world. In addition to his work as a performer and teacher, Harju is a composer and holds a degree in television directing.
