Paula Ernesaks

“I love the horn for its flexibility of different sounds and colours and also for its wide range. Because this, the horn can be combined with almost all the sections of an orchestra. It can be a link between the brass and the woodwinds or support the strings. Sometimes the horns might even get to play a melody, which is often a beautiful line that really does credit to the sound of the instrument.”

Paula Ernesaks first played the piano. But she envied her friend who played her instrument in an orchestra – because it seemed such a fun thing to do. That’s when the musician decided to learn the horn. She liked the instrument for its beautiful sound and looks. It also seemed to her that it seemed they never had to play anything fast or difficult. At the age of 14, she began her studies at the Espoo Music Institute and transferred to the Sibelius Academy in 2012, where she became a student of Jukka Harju and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 2021.

As a member of a number of youth orchestras, Paula Ernesaks discovered how gratifying it is to play in an orchestra and decided to make it her profession. She gained her orchestral experience in the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock. In the 2017/18 season, the horn player, who was supported by the training programme of Finnish National Opera and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, played in the Kuopio City Symphony Orchestra. Before becoming a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the horn player completed her training as an orchestral musician at the Karajan Academy. In her free time, Paula Ernesaks enjoys playing tennis or relaxing in nature.