Timo-Veikko ‘Tipi’ Valve grew up in Helsinki, surrounded by a family who were “musical, but not musicians”, and who wanted music lessons to be a part of their children’s lives. Tipi was encouraged to pick
up the cello because one of the teachers at the local music school, upon seeing him as a toddler, declared that he “looks like a cellist.” Tipi is still not sure what this actually means.
Tipi describes the Australian Chamber Orchestra as his “first and only job to date”. His audition for the Orchestra was also his first and only audition, done while he was nearing the end of his studies at the
Edsberg Music Institute in Stockholm after studying at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He jokes that it was appealing that the audition was for a position in Australia, because if he “totally crashed and burned”, no
one at home would ever find out.
Tipi has been the Principal Cello of the ACO for sixteen years. He describes playing with a small, tightly knit community of people as the natural habitat for someone with his musical personality and says the close
relationship he formed with his ACO colleagues, old and new, was instant.
He currently plays a 1616 Brothers Amati cello which is lent to him exclusively from the ACO Instrument Fund. Tipi contributed to finding the instrument for the Fund and himself, which he says is important
because the relationship between a player and their instrument is like “a marriage of some sort.” He says, “I’ve been playing the Amati for over five years now, which in the lifespan of a relationship between a
musician and their instrument is early days. We’re still getting to know each other, but I knew immediately it was an instrument of immense power and great agility. The combination makes for a sound that is
completely transformative.”
Tipi performs on both modern and period instruments and describes the cello as flexible and adaptive, both in its role in an ensemble or as a soloist across all forms of music. Tipi reflects this versatility and is enjoying
a varied career as a musician, play-directing from the cello, and appearing as a soloist with many of the major orchestras across his two home countries, Finland and Australia. Tipi also has an active interest in
new music, having commissioned and premiered concertos and other works written specifically for him.
“His tone was so stunningly beautiful that a single note emitting from his instrument communicated more than others can express in a lifetime.” Chicago Classical Music
“This was deeply expressive playing.” Limelight Magazine
Q&A: Selby & Friends sits down for a chat with Tipi…
Where do you do most of your performing?
As the principal cello of the ACO I travel all over the world playing around 25 concerts overseas and around 100 in Australia every year. Then I take all the available time off that I can get and go back home to Finland to play even more concerts! Crazy, right?
What do you like about Selby & Friends?
I love the fact that there is chamber music everywhere in Australia, subscription series are available in most major cities around the place all year round. Back home chamber music is more concentrated to the summer festivals (a generous overload of it in a very short time period!!) Through these series Australia has developed a matured sense for the art of chamber music!
What do organisations like Selby & Friends mean for Australian musicians?
For me it means new contacts, new friends, new experiences.
How long have you known Kathy Selby? Have you played with her before?
I believe we first performed together in 2012, which means we have collaborated for a full decade already! There are a lot of unbelievable concerts and memories that fit into those ten years of playing together.
How old were you when you first started playing your instrument? Do you remember why you chose it?
Six years old, so in Finland that means a year before one starts school. Our mum had the whole family-piano-trio idea going; my sister played the violin and my brother the piano. Luckily for us all, to avoid the cliché, they both decided to pursue “real” professions.
What is your favorite aspect of being a performer in Australia?
The diversity of audiences I guess, and the diversity of the country of course as well. I love to travel and Australia is a great place to travel in.
Do you think there is enough opportunity for chamber musicians in Australia?
Let’s say that I would not complain about it.
Why chamber music? What draws you to it?
We all have our own passions, for me it is the need to be multifaceted, diverse and open to everything. Chamber music is a huge part of every musician’s life, it’s the intimacy I guess that draws us to it.
Are there any favorites, challenges or unknowns in the tour repertoire for your tour next year?
There are a few personal favorites mixed with some new acquaintances. I’m really hesitant to admit not having played the Ravel trio before… I guess there has to be a first time for everything.
Media Quotes
“His tone was so stunningly beautiful that a single note emitting from his instrument communicated more than others can express in a lifetime.” Chicago Classical Music
“The movement featured tuned crystal glasses, each filled with water and bowed to ethereal effect while a cello wept in solitude, suspended from the stars in a sky blinded by battle smoke and wasted lives. It cried like an operatic scene change, revealing something in the night which can only be played but never sung, lest the voice lose itself in its own spell.” ECM Records
“Timo-Veikko Valve was the soloist in C.P.E. Bach’s A Minor Cello Concerto. Crisp articulation, especially in the fastest passages, made the whole work seem to dance on tiptoe. Valve played with energy and ingenious precision.” Canberra Times
“His technical command of a magnificent Guarneri instrument allowed a wider range of dynamics, enabling him to unlock more imaginative possibilities from the notes on the page…his awareness of sonority within the ambient space allowing vividly shaped phrases to hang in the air…This was deeply expressive playing.”Limelight Magazine
“His tone was so stunningly beautiful that a single note emitting from his instrument communicated more than others can express in a lifetime.” Chicago Classical Music
“His technical command of a magnificent Guarneri instrument allowed a wider range of dynamics, enabling him to unlock more imaginative possibilities from the notes on the page…his awareness of sonority within the ambient space allowing vividly shaped phrases to hang in the air…This was deeply expressive playing.” Limelight Magazine
“Cellist Timo-Veikko Valve gave an impressive performance of CPE Bach’s dramatic A minor Cello Concerto, particularly in the accuracy of his fast passages and the tone of his beautiful andante.” Sunday Herald Sun
