Petteri Waris (b. 1992, Finland) studied classical accordion at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, with Matti Rantanen and at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany.
 

In 2015, Waris won first prize at the prestigious International Accordion Competition Klingenthal in Germany. The following year, he received the renowned Folkwang Prize in Essen. He has performed at festivals including Alba Music Festival, Festival 4020, TONEDMELISMA, Limina Festival, Festival NOW! and Kokkola Winter Accordion in Finland. His performances have been broadcast on Deutschlandfunk, WDR 3 and Finland’s national public broadcaster, YLE.
 

As a soloist, Waris has appeared with orchestras including the Vaasa City Orchestra, Kirkkonummi Chamber Orchestra, Vogtland Philharmonie, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen and Philharmonisches Orchester Hagen. In 2019, he gave the world premiere of Veli Kujala’s accordion concerto Shape-Shifter with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tomas Djupsjöbacka. A recording of the concerto was released on the album Finnish Accordion Concertos (Alba Records), which received the Finnish Emma Award for Classical Album of the Year 2024.

 

Waris is a member of the contemporary music ensembles E-MEX, based in Essen, Germany, and Lizard, based in Linz, Austria. Alongside contemporary works written for the accordion and transcriptions, his repertoire encompasses a wide range of musical styles and genres.