Seppo Ruohonen

Seppo Ruohonen (25 April 1946 – 1 March 2020) was a Finnish operatic tenor and voice pedagogue.

Education Ruohonen trained initially under Lea Piltti, and later continued in Vienna at the Vienna State Opera school and the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst (now the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he obtained three separate degrees (opera, lied and oratorio, and voice), all with the highest available grade. He furthermore appeared as guest in numerous productions in countries including the UK, France, Italy, USA and Russia, as well as at the Savonlinna Opera Festival.

Personal life Seppo Ruohonen's younger brothers also sing professionally, as the pop and folk duo Matti ja Teppo. As children, they sang together at weddings and other events, and were later joined by future operatic bass Matti Salminen.

Ruohonen was nearly deaf in one ear, and would make sure to position himself on the stage so as to face the orchestra with his good ear.

He died in 2020 following a long battle with cancer; he was survived by wife and a daughter.