Markku Lepistö & Mikko Helenius

• country:Finland
• style(s):Scandinavian, Acoustic
• label:Rapusaari Records
• type:Duo
• gender:male
• instrumentation:instrumental
• artist posted by:Lepistö, Markku

Line up

• Markku Lepistö (Diatonic accordion)
• Mikko Helenius (Pipe Organ)

Links

• Markku Lepistö & Mikko Helenius
• Gammal Fäbodpsalm från Dalarna (video)

Markku Lepistö & Mikko Helenius
Bellows and Pipes
- traditional and contemporary folk music -

MARKKU LEPISTÖ, 3-row Accordion
MIKKO HELENIUS, Pipe Organ

Markku Lepistö (b. 1963) started his musical career in 1969 with the old folk music players of small village in Kuortane, Southern Ostrobothnia. There he learned his first tunes and playing styles by ear with his fiddle playing father and with numerous accordion players. As an early teen his started then the 'serious' music studies at the Seinäjoki Music Institute.
In year 1983 Lepistö was accepted as one of the first folk music students at Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department what was established on that year. He finished is Master studies in 1990 and then later graduated as a Doctor of Music in 2016. His main instruments are different size of diatonic accordions (1-3 row) but he's also renowned with skills of the chromatic accordion.
Along his long career Lepistö has been working in several Finnish all-stars folk music bands. In addition to several folk band recordings Lepistö has released five solo albums: Silta (2002), Polku (2006), Tupasoitto (2009), New Voices (2016) ja SOLOS (2018).

Mikko Helenius (b. 1977) has studied at the Sibelius Academy Church Music Department and afterward worked in different parishes of Helsinki as a professional organist.
Helenius is also renowned with the skills of bandoneon playing and he studied it in Paris with Juan José Mosalini between 2001– 2004. He also studied composing with Gustavo Beytelmann at the same years.
Helenius has composed and arranged numerous titles for pipe organs and also music for the documentary films. In addition to church music Helenius is writing music for the theatre and ensembles and been performing with several tango orchestras in Europe, South America and Asia.