Päivyt Meller, née Rajamäki, (born 1964) is a Finnish classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist.

Meller started her violin studies in Oulu

Oulu

Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....

, under the guidance of Tatyana Pogozeva and Pertti Sutinen. She then moved to Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, studying at the Sibelius Academy

Sibelius Academy

The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...

 with Anja Ignatius, earning her violin diploma at the age of 15. Meller continued her studies with Josef Gingold

Josef Gingold

Josef Gingold was a Russian-Jewish-born classical violinist and teacher, who lived most of his life in the United States...

 at the Jacobs School of Music

Jacobs School of Music

The Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music...

 in the USA from 1979 through 1983, and with Victor Liberman in Holland from 1983 through 1986. Between 1986 and 1987, Meller studied at the International Menuhin Music Academy

Alberto Lysy

Alberto Lysy was a prestigious Argentine violinist and conductor.-Life and work:Alberto Lysy was born in Buenos Aires to Ukrainian immigrants in 1935. At age five, his father introduced him to the violin. Lysy left school at age 13 to devote more time to the instrument, and was subsequently...

 in Gstaad, Switzerland

Gstaad

Gstaad is a village in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Berne in southwestern Switzerland. Part of the municipality of Saanen, Gstaad is known as one of the most exclusive ski resorts in the world....

, after she was awarded a grant by the Academy. From 1988 to 1990, Meller served as concertmistress

Concertmaster

The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...

 of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra based in Helsinki, and is the chief radio orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company . The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Helsinki Music Centre...

.

A prize winner in major national violin competitions in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, Meller has been on the teaching staff of the Sibelius Academy since 1990. She has also performed throughout Finland and abroad, playing both as a chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

ian and as a soloist

Solo (music)

In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...

, working with various chamber music ensembles and Finnish orchestras, including several solo orchestral appearances with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Meller has authored numerous articles of pedagogical content and published a book introducing Tatyana Pogozeva's particular Russian method of teaching violin playing to children.

Meller plays a 1777 Nicolò Gagliano

Nicolò Gagliano

Nicolo Gagliano was an Italian violin-maker, the eldest son of Alessandro Gagliano. He made many admirable instruments; often imitated. Some have been mistaken for those of Stradivari.Typical labels:Nicolaii Gagliano fecitin Napoli 1711...

 violin.

Meller is married to Finnish Christian preacher Leo Meller, and they have a child together.