Artistic Director Rita Varonen
Since 1993, Jyväskylä Female Choir has been led by Rita Varonen, a graduate conductor who studied choral conducting at the prestigious Liszt Academy in Budapest. In addition to her degree in choral conducting, she has completed studies in wind orchestra conducting and vocal performance. Rita Varonen is an internationally acclaimed choir conductor.
In 1996, Varonen received the Harald Andersén Award from the Finnish Cultural Foundation in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the development of Finnish choral culture. In 2001, she was awarded second prize in the international Mariele Ventre Conducting Competition in Italy. The Finnish Choral Conductors’ Association named her Conductor of the Year in 2004.
In 2009, she was selected as Best Conductor at both the Slovakia Cantat and ABB Banská Bystrica international choral competitions. In 2012, the Finnish Amateur Musicians’ Association (Sulasol) awarded her the Klemetti Award for her distinguished work in the field of choral music. Her most recent honours include the Gold Merit Badge of the Finnish Mixed Choir Association in 2018 and the Gold Merit Badge of the Finnish Women’s Choir Association in 2022.
Rita Varonen serves as a Senior Lecturer at JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä, where she teaches orchestra conducting, choral conducting and musicianship. She is also a sought-after lecturer, clinician and adjudicator at international choral events and competitions.