BIO
Kristjan Kannukene is an Estonian violist, singer, electric guitarist, composer, improviser, and
intermedia artist whose work brings together different traditions and aesthetics.
Classical and rock music have created symbiotic forms in his artistry, ranging from performing Bach’s violin concerto on electric guitar to improvising rock solos on viola with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO).
Kannukene has presented his compositions, among others, at Wigmore Hall in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and released his debut album 333, after which he has focused on his intermedia instrument and interactive sound installation project 9.
His artistic focus lies in finding the symbiosis between voice and viola and connecting it with other art forms.
Classical and rock music have created symbiotic forms in his artistry, ranging from performing Bach’s violin concerto on electric guitar to improvising rock solos on viola with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO).
Kannukene has presented his compositions, among others, at Wigmore Hall in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and released his debut album 333, after which he has focused on his intermedia instrument and interactive sound installation project 9.
His artistic focus lies in finding the symbiosis between voice and viola and connecting it with other art forms.
Kannukene graduated cum laude from two Master’s programs at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre – in classical viola and contemporary improvisation.
In 2018/19 he furthered his studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, and in 2024 at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the Master’s program Music and Art Performance, as well as in the continuing education program CAS Creation and Scenario in Music at the Zurich University of the Arts.
Since 2025, Kannukene is a doctoral student and junior researcher at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, conducting artistic research on the topic “The Symbiosis of Viola and Voice.”
Kannukene is the founder and artistic director of HETKfEST, a festival of improvised arts.
BIO (in English).pdf
BIO (eesti keeles).pdf
External links:
interpreet.ee/staff/kristjan-kannukene/
sirp.ee/s1-artiklid/c5-muusika/nonii-siin-ta-nuud-on/