Finnish Helsinki-based 18-year-old pianist Mark Sulander has been studying piano at the Sibelius Academy Youth Program since 2024 under the guidance Antti Hotti. From 2020 to 2024 Sulander studied piano with Heikki Pellinen at the Helsinki Conservatory. Before this he studied piano privately in a local piano studio. Sulander has been described as “Sulander’s musical personality is expressed in a personal, emotionally wide-ranging and multi-nuanced interpretation.” Sulander has participated in master classes with Tuija Hakkila, Fabio Bidini, Risto-Matti Marin, Alberto Urroz, Konstantin Bogino and others.
In addition to Sulander’s accomplished solo piano studies, he is also an avid chamber music player and composer. Sulander plays in wildly differing ensembles and has participated in many chamber music masterclasses. He has performed in the Tampere Chamber Music Festival and other festivals. Sulander is also highly active and passionate in Lied music, collaborating with singers at the Helsinki Conservatory under the mentorship of Heikki Pellinen. Sulander has received remarkable recognition for his lied-pianism and has received feedback from renowned teachers that he embodies an incredibly sensitive ear and feeling for lied.
Sulander has received the 3rd prize in the 2025 Steinway and Sons Nordic Junior Piano Competition Young Artists Category. He has also been awarded at the Tapiola Piano Competition and has received the shared 3rd prize with his singer at the 2024 Helsinki Lied Competition. In 2025 he received a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation to help with his piano studies.