Biography Max Lilja

Max Lilja is a Finnish cellist and composer. Lilja is a co-founder of the legendary cello rock band Apocalyptica and known for his collaboration with the world famous Finnish soprano Tarja Turunen.

Max Lilja showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. At the age of five, when other children started to recognize colours and shapes of letter in alphabet, he became highly attentive to melodies created by playing his first violin. Two years later, he switched to cello, which had stayed his life passion ever since and he was accepted to the Junior Academy of Sibelius Academy when he was ten. After years of studying and playing in various symphony orchestras, in 1996, Apocalyptica was created with Max (being only 21 years old) as one of the founders. In the following years, the band released three albums (Plays Metallica By Four Cellos in 1996, Inquisition Symphony in 1998 and Cult in 2000).

After leaving Apocalyptica in early 2000s, it seems Max unveiled his full potential – besides being a cellist in Finnish National Opera Orchestra, he became member of a multi genre metal band Hevein and a Finnish folk-pop band Tekijä Tuntematon, whose music is based on Finnish poetry. In 2007, after initial ideas of solo album and searching for “the sound” of electrified cello, he started touring and recording with former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen. Eventually, in 2013, his first solo album Plays Electronica By One Cello was released. In April 2015 Fluttery Records releases Lilja’s new album Morphosis. www.maxlilja.com

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