Native of Finland, Marja Kaisla began piano studies at age three and made her public debut at age five. She received her musical education at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, in Switzerland with György Sebök, and in Philadelphia with Susan Starr. Her singularly most significant musical influence has been Grigori Sokolov.

Since moving to the US in 1987 she has enjoyed an active concert career on stage, radio, television, and major motion pictures while living a multifaceted life as a cultural and educational advocate and as a governmental consultant on Nordic history, culture and economic issues.

She has received the Finnish Government Centennial Award, the country’s highest civilian award for promoting Finnish and Nordic culture in the United States.

Ms. Kaisla made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 and has toured all around the US as a solo performer and chamber musician. She has also toured extensively as a member of Piano4, a unique ensemble of four pianos. She was Finlandia Foundation National’s Performer of the Year and has performed for the Nordic countries’ royal families, President Biden as well as US governors and senators.

Recognized by the African American Museum in Philadelphia as a recipient for Outstanding Achievement in Innovative Programming as a Legend of Jazz, R&B and Gospel, Ms. Kaisla is also a recording artist. Her critically acclaimed solo CD Embracing Beauty includes some of the best known classical works for solo piano.

Ms. Kaisla is the Artistic Director of Young Musicians Musicales, a musical organization presenting young instrumentalists of highest caliber from the US and abroad in concerts in historic landmark residencies in the Philadelphia area.

She lectures on neuroscience regarding the effects of music on memory and cognitive skills. An avid tennis player, her other interests outside of music include history, quantum mechanics, animal welfare, and state and federal lobbying for wider environmental protections.