One of the most active and innovative Finnish accordion players of his generation, Niko Kumpuvaara (born in 1981) is a versatile and sought-after musician. New accordion music has a special place in his solo and chamber music repertoire. Kumpuvaara has premiered numerous works, from solo pieces to concerts. In addition to classical music, rhythm, entertainment music, and improvisation are close to Kumpuvaara's heart. Among them, his most active ensembles are the legend of Finnish schlager Dallapé, Maria Ylipääja ja Ystävät group, and Comics in Concert, which combines cartoons with music. The multi-awarded Kumpuvaara has won first prize in the prestigious Klingenthal International Accordion Competition and third prize in the world's largest contemporary music competition for all instruments, the Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition. He has been the artistic director of the Oulu Music Festival and the Accordion Festival Sata-Häme Soi.  2009-2015, Kumpuvaara was a visiting professor of accordion at the Graz University of Music in Austria. As a composer, arranger, and producer, he has worked in both film and stage productions, the most recent of which is Red Nose Company's award-winning play Aleksis Kivi and UKK, which premiered in October 2024, for which Kumpuvaara composed most of the music for the play.