Ilkka Heinonen is a Helsinki-based musician and composer specializing in folk and world music, playing instruments such as the jouhikko, double bass, violone, and viola da gamba, with a passion for early music. As one of the pioneers of jouhikko playing, Heinonen has sought to expand the instrument’s possibilities, drawing influences from European jazz, Renaissance music, and Karelian jouhikko music. In addition to performing with ensembles inspired by European folk music cultures, Heinonen has worked both as a soloist and with orchestras in contemporary and early music concerts and projects. He is completing his artistic doctoral dissertation on the expressive possibilities of the jouhikko in the MuTri doctoral program at the Sibelius Academy.