At just 14 years old, Finnish violinist Lilja Haatainen is already captivating audiences with her breathtaking sound and magnetic stage presence. She has appeared as a soloist with many of Finland’s leading orchestras, including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Finnish Chamber Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Oulu Sinfonia, Espoo City Orchestra, and Vaasa City Orchestra, as well as in Germany with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra. Her conductor collaborations include Nicholas Collon, Dalia Stasevska, Kristian Sallinen, and Rumon Gamba.

In the summer of 2025, Lilja will appear both as a soloist and chamber musician at several Finnish music festivals, including the Tammisaari Summer Festival. In the following season, she joins the International Chamber Music Festival in Utrecht at the invitation of Janine Jansen and makes her debuts with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, as well as with the Pori Sinfonietta and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra.

In March 2025, Lilja was featured on the Dutch classical television programme Podium Klassiek as their Young Hero, where she was interviewed and performed Pablo de Sarasate’s Zapateado.

Lilja made her concerto debut at the age of just eight as a soloist in the Oulu Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloists Concert. In 2022, she won the 10–12-year-old category of the Jyväskylä Violin Competition and took First Prize in the 9–13-year-old category of the Louis Spohr International Competition for Young Violinists in Germany.

Born in 2011, Lilja began playing the violin at the age of three. She studied at the Oulu Conservatory until 2022, when she began working with Janne Malmivaara. She is also a student of the Finland Violin Academy, a specialized program for exceptionally talented young violinists.

Lilja Haatainen’s studies are supported by the Stretton Society, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Pro Musica, and the Wihuri Foundation.