Ville Hiilivirta

Ville Hiilivirta (born 1984) is a Finnish horn player. He has been playing the horn since he was nine years old. He can also play a little piano, but not as well as he would like. Hiilivirta works as the horn principal in the Helsinki City Orchestra. However, he does not have any subordinates or secretaries.

Hiilivirta's favorite composers are Brahms, Strauss, Mahler, Debussy, Ravel, Puccini, Ligeti and Messiaen. At home, however, he prefers to listen to American jazz from the 1950s and 60s. Hiilivirta lives in a detached house in Puistola, Helsinki. He has a wife (a pianist) and a dog (an American Cocker Spaniel) and a son from a previous marriage. The son plays the trumpet. Hiilivirta enjoys cooking (especially charcoal grilling), tinkering around the house and puzzles. He would like to read more quality literature, but he mostly sticks to detective stories.

In addition to his regular work, Hiilivirta performs his annual summer recital at the Olavinlinna castle in the Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra, serves as the horn principal of the chamber orchestra Avanti!, and plays chamber music in several ensembles, including as one half of Duo Kärkkäinen Hiilivirta, as part of the Helsinki Chamber Soloists, and as a member of his newest ensemble, the Kolibri Brass Quintet.