Violinist phenom from Palm Beach County competes in prestigious international competition

A youngster who thrived in the one of the county's original elementary strings orchestras more than a decade ago, is proving the value of that early education as he takes a worldwide stage as a distinguished violinist at the age of 24.
Having a seat in Palm Beach Public's choice program for strings proved just the beginning for Matthew Hakkarainen, who has gone on to perform with famed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, studied at elite arts and music institutions, and achieved distinction at top international violin competitions.
But more opportunities await. Most immediately, beginning May 19, the 24-year-old Juilliard School graduate will compete in the prestigious International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki, Finland.
The competition, which is held every five years, is one of the "most important" in the world, said Hakkarainen in a recent interview with the Palm Beach Daily News.
"The Sibelius Competition has been around for awhile," he said. "There have been a lot of great violinists who have won a prize at the competition and go on to make a great career. So it's special to be among the participants for this year's competition."
Hakkarainen, who grew up in Palm Beach Gardens, began playing the violin when he was just 3.
At Palm Beach Public, he honed his love for the violin under the guidance of program director Andrew Matzkow, who is now retired.
"He did such a fabulous job," Hakkarainen said of Matzkow. "I did not realize until much later on how lucky I was to have music in school daily and to have a great program that got me playing all the time and helped build up our love for music. It's so great if you can get that from an early age, especially in school, because then you have it sort of built into your day. It becomes a normal thing to have your classes, but then you also practice, and you have rehearsal and you get to make music. It really just set me up on the right track."
Hakkarainen continued his musical education at Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts, where he further distinguished himself as a violinist.
He performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as an eighth-grader, and as a high school senior, won a $4,000 scholarship for music/instrumental at the 35th annual Pathfinder Scholarship Awards sponsored by the Palm Beach Post.
Hakkarainen went on to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and Juilliard before moving to Toronto to complete a Rebanks Family Fellowship at the Royal Conservatory of Music.
He is set to complete his studies in May, and will immediately step into a new position as associate concertmaster with the renowned Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
A concertmaster is the principal first violin player in an orchestra, and the associate typically acts as the second in command.
Hakkarainen was offered the role after an audition, and he said he's thrilled at the opportunity to continue to advance his career.
"Part of the reason why I'm excited to be joining them is I've always had a goal of having a leadership role in a great orchestra," he said. "One day I really hope to be a concertmaster at one of the great orchestras, and this is already an amazing step that I'm going to be an associate concertmaster here in Toronto."
While Hakkarainen will continue to make Canada his home base, he expects to travel frequently for international competitions.
Since 2023, he has entered competitions every few months, earning top-three finishes in France, Germany, and Poland.
He also returns regularly to Palm Beach County, where his family, friends and former teachers remain.
In January, Hakkarainen participated in the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach's inaugural rising artist program.
The weeklong residency offered aspiring violinists, violists, and cellists aged 20 to 30 the chance to rehearse and perform alongside seasoned chamber musicians. It culminated in a performance at the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse.
Hakkarainen said the program was "a lot of fun."
"It was really cool to be going around and performing," he said. "We went to play at Dreyfoos, my old high school, and we went to play at the VA Medical Center, which is right near our house. It was sort of surreal to be basically retracing my steps as a kid, playing in all those places."
In March, Hakkarainen returned home to play at Orchestra Delray, and in early May, he was back again — this time to play at Bak Middle School, where his former teacher and string director, Nancy Beebe, is retiring.
"It's always special to be home," he said.
Hakkarainen said he is grateful to his hometown community for giving him the chance to grow as a musician and pursue his dreams.
"Looking back, I can see how fortunate I was to grow up in a place that has a love for the arts," he said. "Throughout my time in school, I was so fortunate to have it as a part of my life, and it's definitely a big reason why I am where I am now."
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County violin phenom competes in Helsinki, Finland

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