Kalevi Olli grew up in Hämeenlinna and from 1960 received lessons in clarinet , violin , piano and composition at the Hämeenlinna music school. During his school days he was already composing, arranging and conducting the school orchestra. In 1966 he founded the band The Monks as a singer and keyboard player with bassist Leo Kirjavainen , which performed at the Blueberry Rock Festival in Helsinki. Olli studied composition from 1971 at the Sibelius Academy [1] with Einojuhani Rautavaara and Einar Englund and completed a vocal course from 1972 [1]with the Finnish opera singer Pekka Salomaa, which he graduated with a diploma in 1976. From 1976 to 1978 he completed additional studies with Jorma Hynninen .
In 1972 Timo Ryymin (vocals, guitar and piano) and Kalevi Olli (vocals and piano) founded the folk-rock band Rahapula . The debut single "Kiss" was released in 1973 and the album "Lempiaihe" in 1974. The band broke up in 1974. [2]
From 1974 to 1977 Olli sang in the choir of the Finnish National Opera , where he also took on small solo parts, and also appeared on the radio. In 1977 he won the Timo Callio competition in Savonlinna and in 1978 the Lappeenranta Concours . In 1987 he won the Kuula Competition in Vantaa[1]
He made his official opera debut as a vocal soloist in 1977 at the Finnish National Opera as Silvano in A Masked Ball by Giuseppe Verdi . [1] From 1978 to 1984 Olli was as a soloist ensemble member of the Frankfurt Opera [1] [3] and was a regular guest at the Theater Heidelberg (1980-1981) and the Opera Dortmund (1985-1986), where he appeared in the main part, Topi of Aulis Sallinen´s Opera The red Line. He also had great success as the Flying Dutchman at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. [1]
After he won the Concours de Genève in 1981 [4] , concert tours to France and Switzerland followed. As a lieder singer, he began working with the pianist Ulrich Koneffke, [5] his repertoire comprised more than 300 songs. Between 1976 and 1990 he made almost a hundred recordings for Yleisradio . Olli gave up to 150 performances a year, and he also arranged and composed. Recitals for example in Alte Oper Frankfurt, in Pretoria Opera house , Johannesburg Radio House, Düsseldorf, Nürnberg,Karlsruhe, Helsinki National Opera and Helsinki Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival, Kuhmo Chamber music festival.
From 1996 Olli sang Warlaam in Boris Godunow at the Stockholm Royal Opera and was again an ensemble member of the Finnish National Opera from 1995 to 2007. There he sang Bartolo in the Barber of Seville , Alberich in the Ring of the Nibelung , the Doktor in Wozzeck , Dikój in Katja Kabanova and Uncle Bonze in Madama Butterfly . [1] Alberich, as well in Copenhagen and Die Deutsche Oper Berlin.
In addition to his work as an opera singer, he was internationally known as a concert, oratorio and lieder singer, he gave concerts in Finland,Russia, South-Africa,Denmark,Norway, Luxemburg,Sweden,France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. [1] [6] Many of his compositions and arrangements have been performed all over the Europe, f.ex. St Petersburg, Moscow, London (City of London Symphony with Richard Hickox), Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf,Stockholm, Oslo,Helsinki, Tampere, Oulu, Turku, Copenhagen, Paris, Milan, Rome and Vienna.
In 2013 he received a state artist pension. Discography
To the music. Kalevi Olli, baritone, Ulrich Koneffke, piano, fugue 3017. (1982) You far, far there. Kalevi Olli, baritone, Kimmo Hakasalo, piano. Fuga 3018, (1983) Barcarole. Heino Kaski : Laujula Songs. Kalevi Olli, Baritone, Ilkka Paananen, Piano, Fugue 3029 (1984) Great ballads. Kalevi Olli, bass-baritone, Ulrich Koneffke piano, Fuga 3027 (1984) Robert Schumann : Dichterliebe . Kalevi Olli, baritone, Ulrich Koneffke, piano (1985) SST0176 Franz Schubert : Schwanengesang . Kalevi Olli, baritone, Ulrich Koneffke, piano, Fuga 3064, (1986) Toivo Kuula Complete. Kalevi Olli, Baritone, Ulrich Koneffke, Piano, Songs, Finlandia Records 522112, (1993) Sergei Rachmaninov: Complete Songs Vol. 1. Kalevi Olli, Bariton, Ulrich Koneffke, Klavier, Finlandia Records 4509-98615-2, (1994) Sergei Rachmaninov: Complete Songs Vol. 2. Kalevi Olli, Bariton, Ulrich Koneffke Klavier, Finlandia Records 4509-98992-2, (1996) Sergei Rachmaninov: Complete Songs Vol. 3. Kalevi Olli, Bariton, Ulrich Koneffke Klavier, Finlandia Records 0630-17740-2, (1997) Psalms Hanson - Dvorak. Kalevi Olli, Bass-Baritone, Kalevi Kiviniemi , Organ, Jussi Peltonen, Violoncello, Fuga 9426