AR Quartet
(formerly known as Artturi Rönkä Quartet) is a band of four young musicians from Helsinki, Finland. The group’s music is characterized by dynamic and energetic interplay and refined compositions, mostly written by Artturi Rönkä. In May 2012, the band won the first prize in the Finnish final of “Young Nordic Jazz Comets” competition and represented Finland in the international showcase in Copenhagen, Denmark. In September 2012, AR Quartet won the second prize in international “Jazz Hoeilaart” competition for jazz groups in Belgium.

Artturi Rönkä (b. 1990) is a Finnish pianist and composer.

In 2009 Rönkä started his studies in jazz piano at the jazz department of Sibelius Academy, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 2011. He has been taught by among others Seppo Kantonen, Mikael Jakobsson, Kari Ikonen, Jim Beard, Jussi Kannaste, Manuel Dunkel and Raoul Björkenheim. Since the autumn 2011 he has been studying jazz composition at the master’s level, studying mostly with contemporary classical composers. During the academic year 2012-2013 Rönkä studied jazz composition in Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP).

For the past few years, the band AR Quartet (formerly known as Artturi Rönkä Quartet) has been Rönkä’s main project as a piano player. The band, that features saxophonist Sampo Kasurinen, bassist Eero Seppä and drummer Jonatan Sarikoski, won the first prize in Finnish “Young Nordic Jazz Comets” competition in May 2012 and placed second in international “Jazz Hoeilaart” competition in Belgium in September 2012.

Rönkä has also been successful in composing competitions. Highlights so far include the first prizes in both Finnish “Esko Linnavalli” (2011, organized by UMO Jazz Orchestra) and international “Jazzverk” (2012 Luleå, Sweden, organized by Norrbotten Big Band) big band composition contests. He was also one of the three finalists in a composing competition of orchestral fanfares organized by YS, Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra in 2011.