Sunday 30 November
UKARIA Cultural Centre
Between Worlds
Internationally acclaimed cellist Timo-Veikko ‘Tipi’ Valve leads Momentum Ensemble in a lush program for cello and string orchestra, masterfully intertwining his Finnish heritage with his Australian experiences. Jaakko Kuusisto’s Wiima evokes the nostalgic charm of Sysmä, a town dear to Tipi’s childhood. Tipi’s own arrangement of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata allows the cello to sing with warmth and lyricism, while Olivia Bettina Davies’s Crystalline shimmers with its delicate textures. The evening culminates with the introspective strains of Sibelius’s Voces intimae interspersed with select movements from Sculthorpe’s dark String Quartet No. 8, weaving together Finnish and Australian traditions into a captivating tapestry. Don’t miss this opportunity to lose yourself in a night of unforgettable musical beauty.
REPERTOIRE
Jaako KUUSISTO Play III, Op 21 (Wiima)
SCHUBERT arr. Valve Arpeggione Sonata
Olivia Bettina DAVIES Crystalline
SCULTHORPE String Quartet No 8 (selections)
SIBELIUS arr. Valve String Quartet Voces intimae
Ida MOBERG Stillness
Artist:
Cellist
Timo-Veikko Valve, affectionately known as “Tipi” to audiences, grew up in Finland in a family described as “musically oriented normal people.” At six, he was encouraged to play the cello after a teacher at a local music school insisted that he “looked just like a cellist!” Tipi remains intrigued by this remark but acknowledges it was spot on.
Appointed Principal Cello of the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2006, Tipi’s leadership has become central to the ACO. Renowned for his creative and generous musicianship, he studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Edsberg Music Institute in Stockholm before moving to Australia.
Tipi transitions effortlessly between modern and period instruments, describing the cello as a flexible partner in both ensemble and solo performances. His diverse career includes playing, curating, and directing from the cello, and he performs with major orchestras in Finland and Australia. A sought-after chamber musician, Tipi actively commissions and premieres new works. He currently plays a Brothers Amati cello from 1616, on loan from the ACO Instrument Fund.