Marina Väisä graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov St Petersburg State Conservatory in 2004, specialising in organ (class of Tatiana Chausova) and harpsichord (class of Ivan Rozanov), and in 2005 she graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, specialising in organ (class of Olli Porthan). Subsequently she completed her postgraduate studies at the St Petersburg Conservatory.
Has taken part in masterclasses given by Ludger Lohmann, Jon Laukvik, Wolfgang Zerer, Bernard Foccroulle, Jean Wolfs, Pieter van Dijk and Lorenzo Ghielmi. She continued to study at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart under Ludger Lohmann.
Has twice received a special prize at the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition (Kaliningrad); as a laureate of that contest she undertook a concert tour in Great Britain. Was awarded 1st prize at the JS Fest (Turku, Finland), at the Star Olympus competition and Perm’s Nemtin International Multi-genre Competition. Recipient of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation’s Award for Outstanding Educators in Musical Arts (2026).
From 1991 to 2013 Marina Väisä was the organist and Chorus Director at the St George Evangelical Lutheran Church in Koltushi (Leningrad Region). Since 2009 she has been Principal Organist and Artistic Director of the St Petersburg Cathedral of St Mary, where she organises concerts that are open to all. In 2010 the Finnish company Martti Porthan undertook work to install a neo-baroque organ in the cathedral. Marina Väisä took part in a commission to develop its design and was the curator responsible for the instrument’s installation.
Mariinsky Theatre Guest Soloist. She maintains a concert career in Russia, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland and China, performing both as a soloist and in collaboration with vocalists, instrumentalists and choral ensembles. Her extensive repertoire encompasses works from a wide range of eras and styles.
Since 2005 Marina Väisä has taught at the Department of Organ and Harpsichord at the St Petersburg Conservatory (serving as an associate professor from 2019 to 2026 and as a professor since 2026); in 2023 she was awarded the academic rank of associate professor. Since 2001 she has also served as a teacher at the Theological Institute of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria and as the head of the Guild of Cantors of the Church of Ingria. Concurrently, from 2010 to 2015, the musician taught at St Petersburg State University’s Department of Organ, Harpsichord and Carillon.
Jury member at the 2nd All-Russian Odoyevsky Organ Competition (city of Korolyov, Moscow Region, 2016) and the 5th International Goedicke Organ Competition (Moscow, 2018) among other contests.
In 2012 together with mezzo-soprano Elena Eremeeva she released the audio recording Barocco Music: Mezzo-Soprano and Organ. In 2018 the artist released the CD Glory to God Alone with compositions by Bach and Evangelical Lutheran Church chants.
Member of the Interregional Union of Concert Workers.
Information for October 2026
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