bio Eva Alkula is one of the leading kantele artists in Finland.
In 2003 she graduated with a Master of Music from the Sibelius-Academy in Helsinki where she studied contemporary and classical kantele music with lecturer Ritva Koistinen.

In 1999-2000 Alkula studied Japanese koto in Hokkaido University of Education in Sapporo, as a student of koto artist Yukiko Takagaki.

Alkula has won the 1st prize in the National Kantele Competition for soloists in 2003. In 1999 Duo Rauta (Eva Alkula and Katja Pitkänen)
won the 3rd prize in "Uussoitto" contemporary chaimber music competition. In 2005 and 2006 Alkula was given artist grants by
The National Council For Music.

Alkula performs as a soloist and also in various chaimber music ensembles in Finland and abroad (e.g. Duo Rauta and Musica Orion;
an ensemble of Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Finnish folk instruments). She has worked with several Finnish artists and musicians and joined music festivals such as The Chaimber Music By Lake Tuusula, Tampere Biennale and Musica Nova. Alkula has premiered works for kantele composed by various contemporary composers both
in Finland and abroad. She has also worked as a musician in several theaters and operas like Von Krahl Theater (Tallinn), Savonlinna Opera Festival, The Finnish National Theater, The Swedish Theater in Helsinki and The Finnish National Opera.

Working internationally as a musician is a big part of Alkula's work. She has performed around Europe, in USA and Japan from which the latter she visits regularly and works together with the local musicians. She has broadcasted in The Finnish Broadcasting Company, BBC, NHK (Japanese Broadcasting Company) and STV (Sapporo Television).