Pauliina Haustein, DMus

Cellist | Classical Improviser | pedagogue

Pauliina Haustein, DMus, is a performing, improvising and researching cellist. With a decade of traditional performance experience before redirecting her path towards classical improvisation, she has played her way across the world, from Helsinki Music Centre to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, with professional experiences ranging from soloist to chamber music, recitalist, and symphony orchestras. At age 30, an encounter with world-leading classical improvisation Professor, pianist David Dolan (Guildhall School of Music & Drama and The Yehudi Menuhin School) led her to redirect her artistic ambition, leave orchestra and teaching positions, and follow the invitation to embark on an artistic performance doctorate in London. Haustein was initially motivated by personal experiences from past international performances, as it seemed that even simple improvisatory elements as part of a concert or recital programme appeared to activate a more emotional and interactive dimension in the audience’s musical experience. At the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Haustein received instruction from some of the best classical improvisers and performers in the world, including David Dolan (UK), cellist Adrian Brendel (UK) and pianist Robert Levin (USA). Under supervision of David Dolan and John Sloboda, Haustein went on to design and conduct a performance doctorate project re-integrating improvisatory elements to practice and performance of solo and chamber music repertoire. The project included performing multiple concerts, conducting audience research, and analysing the type of enhanced emotional engagement and interaction that emerges between performers and audience members when improvisation is involved in the live concert experience (see Haustein 2022; Dolan et al, 2018). Haustein received a personal 3-year artistic research grant from Kone Foundation, as well as travel and expense grants from Wihuri Foundation.

Since being awarded her DMus in 2022, Haustein has become a sought-after improvising performer and pedagogue, actively sharing her unique approach through co-performance and teaching across Europe, including Hochschule der Künste Bern, Zürich Hochschule der Künste, Crescendo Summer Institute, and Sibelius-Academy, Uniarts, Helsinki. As featured in the classical music magazine “Rondo” (10/22, Finland), her method combines world-class professional orchestra experience with a pedagogical path of re-introducing classical improvisation skills to existing professional musicianship – something that has, until recent years, been limited typically to the domain of alone-playing pianists. As part of the growing movement advocating for classical improvisation to return to concert halls and conservatory education, Haustein is currently working on publishing her experiences with Routledge as well as creating strategies towards incorporating improvisatory creativity to ensemble and symphony orchestra formats.

In 2018, Haustein became mother to twin girls and has found her improvisation training to be put to excellent use in this role as well.