Finnish-American violinist Charlotte Loukola has been described as a “technically astonishing” musician, who has the ability to “infatuate” any audience she comes across. Her soloistic work with orchestras has been described as “exquisite” and “musically beyond her age” (Central Finnish Newspaper).
As a professional musician Charlotte serves as the assistant concertmaster in the world-renowned Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular Orchestra. During her first season in 2023, she played 94 shows that starred the Radio City Rockettes. In the 2024-2025 season Charlotte is contracted to play with the Palm Beach Opera, New Camerata Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, and South Florida Symphony Orchestra. In 2025 Charlotte will be on a tour across the US as Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year 2025.
Charlotte is a very versatile musician. She is passionate about all kinds of classical music spanning from baroque to contemporary music. Charlotte has worked with award-winning baroque violinists Robert Mealy and Cynthia Roberts at the Juilliard School in honing her baroque violin skills. When it comes to contemporary music, Charlotte has worked closely with living composers premiering their works and recording them for various multidisciplinary projects.
As a solo violinist Charlotte has competed successfully in both Europe and North America. She has won 1st place in the International Music and Stars Awards Competition (2021), 2nd place in the Anja Ignatius Violin Competition (2023), 3rd place in the ProViolin International Competition (2021), 3rd place in the Stockholm International Music Competition (2021), and has placed among many other international competitions. Charlotte has given solo concerts all over Europe, including Germany, Scotland, and Sweden. She has performed sold out concerts in Finland as a solo artist both with and without orchestras.
As a chamber musician, Charlotte has performed in various different countries in various different types of chamber music ensembles. However, she is most well-versed in the string quartet repertoire. Charlotte is a co-founder of Ensemble Nerina, a New York City based quartet, which concertizes throughout the New York City area. From 2020-2022 Charlotte was the 2nd violinist of the ILO Quartet. The quartet won several competitions, including the Coltman Chamber Music Competition (2021), and the 1st prize, scholarship, and audience award at the 8th Stockholm International Music Competition (2021). The ILO Quartet worked closely with composer Ata Ghavidel in premiering a piece he wrote and dedicated to the quartet, titled “The Mirror Orchard” (2022). The ILO Quartet formed in 2020 at the Cleveland Institute of Music where they were coached and primarily worked with cellist Si-Yan Darren Li, and violinists Todd Phillips and Phil Setzer. Charlotte’s spark for chamber music was ignited at the 2014 Musica Mundi International Chamber Music Festival in Belgium, which she attended on full scholarship as a representative of Sibelius Academy.
Charlotte began studying the violin at age 3 in the USA. After moving to Finland, she studied with Anatoli Melnikov as his youngest student ever. At the age of 12, she began her pre-college studies with Merit Palas at the Sibelius Academy’s Junior Academy. She was a student at the Junior Academy for 6 years, before she moved back to the USA to pursue her bachelor’s degree at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Ilya Kaler. Charlotte also holds a business management minor from Case Western Reserve University. After she graduated from Cleveland, she received her master’s degree from the world-renowned Juilliard School, studying under Prof. Masao Kawasaki. Charlotte has a second Master’s of Music degree in Violin Performance from Sibelius Academy where she studied with Réka Szilvay.
During her years of musical studies, Charlotte has had the opportunity to play in many different international festivals and masterclasses. She has been fortunate enough to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School (USA, 2023), the Saluzzo Opera Academy, serving as the concertmaster for the academy’s opera orchestra (Italy, 2022), the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute (USA, 2021), the Orford Music Academy (2021), the Starling DeLay Symposium (2021), the New York String Orchestra Seminar (USA, 2020), the Keshet Eilon International Summer Music Masterclass (Israel, 2019), and the Heifetz International Music Institute (USA, 2017). Charlotte has had the privilege and opportunity to take masterclasses with some of the most prestigious violinists such as Hilary Hahn, Maxim Vengerov, Elmar Oliveira, Ivry Gitlis, Nicholas Kitchen, Hagai Shaham, Silvia Marchovichi, and many others.
Charlotte has played in some of the most competitive youth orchestras and ensembles across the United States and Europe including the Jean Sibelius Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of the United States, the Cuban-European Youth Academy (Balthasar Neumann Orchestra, Germany), and the Finnish Chamber Orchestra’s Junior Academy. Through these many opportunities she has been able to perform at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall, and tour both Europe and Asia as an orchestra member playing in some of the most esteemed concert halls. To help further her musical career, Charlotte has received substantial scholarships from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the Finlandia Foundation. Charlotte plays on a French Paul Blanchard (1886) violin.