Internships on Viking Line help turn young musicians into professional performers
Students from Turku Conservatory of Music will get practical training as musicians as part of Viking Line’s onboard entertainment. As one of the largest employers of live music in Finland, Viking Line wants to contribute to Finnish music education by offering a quality learning environment for young interns.
Young Finnish music students will once again have the opportunity to learn within a professional work environment this autumn, when Viking Line continues its collaboration with Turku Conservatory of Music. The students will complete part of the work internship required for their degree in the restaurants of M/S Amorella and M/S Viking Grace during September–November.
“Viking Line is one of Finland’s largest employers of musicians and music technology experts. This is why it’s also natural for us to help promising youth to get a head start on their career. This is the third time that this type of internship term has been organised, and we are excited to welcome the students aboard,” says Mikael Panelius, Entertainment Manager for Viking Line.
The opportunity to get practical working life experience remains a central part of vocational education. Those studying for a degree in music and music technology board the ships to experience the true life of a working entertainment professional. Each band performs 3–5 times during the cruise.
“It is only by doing that one learns to control performance anxiety and develop a stage presence. The performances are assessed from video recordings, and the ship’s personnel participate in the assessment process. Their assessments provide us with invaluable feedback,” Jusu Heinonen, Lecturer at Turku Conservatory of Music, says with gratitude.
The students perform dance and background music for Viking Line’s various restaurants. The internship also provides a boost for the future employment opportunities of these students. More than 14,000 live gigs are performed on Viking Line ships each year, with up to 117 musicians performing during a single day’s journey around the Baltic Sea.
Further information:
Mikael Panelius, Entertainment Manager, Viking Line
mikael.panelius@vikingline.com, +358 400 533 303
Jusu Heinonen, Turku Conservatory of Music, Lecturer, Pop & Jazz course programme
jusu.heinonen@turunkonservatorio.fi, +358 40 562 1956
Christa Grönlund, Communications Manager, Marketing Communications, Viking Line christa.gronlund@vikingline.com, +358 9 123 5242
Viking Line is a public limited company and a market-leading brand in passenger traffic on the northern Baltic Sea. It offers passenger services, recreation and cargo carrier services on the vessels Gabriella, Mariella, Amorella, Rosella, Viking Cinderella, Viking XPRS and on the flagship Viking Grace.
