The brightest star of the Finish rock scene

The soprano singer Tarja Turunen has in a short time become one of the most well-known Finnish faces in the world of music.

Tarja, who was born in the city of Kitee, Finland, started her musical studies at the age of six, and moved to study classical singing at the age 18 at the Sibelius Academy of Kuopio city. At the same time Tarja's classmate Tuomas Holopainen was starting his acoustical project, and invited Turunen to join the band. Tarja said yes to the invitation, and thus Nightwish was born.
In 1997 Spinefarm released their debut album "Angels Fall First", a masterpiece mixing modern metal music with operatic, classical vocals. At the time, Tarja was joining the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir where she performed Wagner and Verdi among others. It was the beginning as well for Tarja Turunen to establish a career that compromises two different kind of music and a long way to go until the audience in general has accepted this fact.

The debut was followed in 1998 by Nightwish's breakthrough album, the platinum selling "Oceanborn" took the band to the stage in Finland and abroad, and Tarja's unbelievable stage charisma instantly made her the number one singer favourite of metal fans and Tarja’s face has been illustrating magazines from all over the world.

Despite the band growing success Tarja made time available for her studies and other projects. In the end of 1999 Turunen took part as a soloist singer in a modern ballet production of the Finnish National Opera House called "The Evankeliumi". The show was written and directed by the famous Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen together with Kärtsy Hatakka of the Finnish band Waltari. All performances of “The Evankeliumi” were completely sold out.

In May 2000 Nightwish released their third album ”Wishmaster”, which immediately rose to the charts all over the world and went platinum in Finland in a matter of weeks. "Wishmaster" sold over 150.000 copies worldwide. The year 2000 was very busy for Tarja and Nightwish, who constantly toured Europe, Finland, Canada and South America.

After the double-platinum "Over the Hills and Far Away" -EP the band started working on their 4th full-length studio album "Century Child", but while the musicians were recording and writing the album, Tarja decided to go one step forward with her vocal studies by enrolling in the Music University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

Although the studying schedule of Karlsruhe was very tight, Tarja managed to find time not only to record her vocals for "Century Child", but also to record vocals for the Argentinean bassist Beto Vazquez's album "Infinity" that become also an immediate success worldwide with releases in far East, Russia, hole Europe and South America, outstanding achievement for the band just because of the link with Tarja’s name.

After some warm up concerts in Germany, Tarja also toured the classical stages of South America in Chile and Argentina performing a "Lied Concert" named “Noche Escandinava” (Scandinavian Night) together with Marjut Paavilainen, Ingvild Storhaug and Izumi Kawakatzu. The sold out concerts sponsored by the Embassies of Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway and the Government of the City of Buenos Aires brought to South America songs from Jean Sibelius, Ture Rangström, Leevi Madetoja, Oskar Merikanto, Hugo Wolf, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn performed by Tarja Turunen creating a special connection between Tarja and the audience that will see her later once again developing her classical career in these countries.

Nightwish's fourth album Century Child was released in the spring of 2002, and it has sold nearly 250.000 copies worldwide. The album release was followed by the massive "World Tour of the Century” which was three months long and took Nightwish's to ten countries around the world. After the tour Tarja went back to Karlsruhe before the end of the year to continue her studies.

When the official break was finally over, Nightwish got into the "Summer of Innocence Tour" starting in June 2003. The experienced left behind 14 countries and 400.000 eyes that have been witnesses of those incredible nights. The year 2003 was very successful for Tarja, but it was definitely crowned by the invitation received from Finnish President Tarja Halonen and husband Dr. Arajärvi to assist to the President's Palace for the Finnish Independence Day Party, the most important social event of the country that takes place every year. 

To end with an astonishing year, in December 19th 2003 Tarja Turunen performed, after tree years, an intimate Christmas Concert. The small Valkeala’s Church welcomed 600 people whom stood up to return a warmth applause to the artist after 60 minutes of traditional Finnish Christmas music from Sibelius, Kotilainen and Melartin as well as some arias from Bach and Mozart.

Nightwish released their latest album, “Once” in 2004 which took Tarja to uncountable photo sessions, press conferences and interviews in Finland and worldwide, followed by the biggest World Tour so far for a Finish band abroad.

Global album sales with Nightwish exceed more than 1.000.000 copies. Tarja has already performed for more than 500.000 people worldwide. Many songs and video clips from Nigthwish have already been in high rotation in several countries.
The TV broadcasting of the Independence Day’s Celebration at the Presidential Castle introduced Tarja Turunen to more than 2.000.000 people in Finland according to Yle TV Station.

So far, this has only begun…

Further information about Tarja Turunen unter >> www.tarjaturunen.com

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