Dr. Päivi Kukkamäki

Päivi Kukkamäki has a Doctor of Music Degree from Sibelius University 2003. She is a registered Suzuki Voice Teacher Trainer of ESA, PPSA, SAA and has also graduated from Sibelius University with the highest degree in singing in 1988. Her teachers have been professor, opera singer Jorma Hynninen and opera singer Raili Kostia. She has also had a voice master course for example with Wagnerian Soprano Birgit Nilsson.

Dr. Kukkamäki is the founder of the Suzuki Voice Program, which she started 1986. The International Suzuki Association has approved it and Dr. Kukkamäki has formed the ISA Suzuki Voice Committee in 2004. The Suzuki Voice Program enables a student to start listening to songs during pregnancy and continue singing until adulthood. The students have been in the Suzuki Voice Program for 25 years. Kukkamäki's students are aged 0-25. Her doctoral work at university was "Growing Through Singing". Since the age of three, Kukkamäki sang for nine years in Finnish Television Children's Programs. She is the mother of three boys and one girl. Her daughter studies opera singing in Vienna.

Dr. Kukkamäki received the Vantaa Award 2003 for her work promoting children's culture and Vantaa Art scholarship 2007. Her group received the Finnish Cultural Foundation scholarship in 2005 and 2007. The new Finnish children's opera "ROOPE" was performed 2007, when Suzuki Voice Program celebrated its' 20th Anniversary year. Her other productions for children have been "Hänsel und Gretel" opera in German 2002, "The Sound of Music" in English 2003-2004, "El Gato con Botas" in Spanish 2004-2005, "Cavalcade of Musicals" 2005, "Snow White" in English 2008, "Sleeping Beauty 2009-2010 and "Christmas story" 2011.  Dr. Kukkamäki has given lectures, workshops and teacher training in 15 countries (Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin-America and USA). Mostly her students have traveled with her and demonstrated the Suzuki Voice Program.