Jouko Harjanne studied the trumpet with Raimo Sarmas at the Tampere Conservatoire and continued after graduating with Henri Adelbrecht and Timofei Dokshitser. Between 1978 and 1984, Harjanne was alternate lead trumpeter with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. 1984 – 2024 Harjanne served as a principal trumpet of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Helsinki.

Harjanne has played chamber music in many brass and chamber ensembles, including the Finnish Brass Ensemble and the Brass Septet Imperial.

Jouko Harjanne’s international career has been enhanced by many competition successes, the most important being second place in the Prague Spring Trumpet Series in 1987, and first place in the Ellsworth Smith Trumpet Competition, organised by the International Trumpet Guild in 1990. In 1989 he was presented with the Brass Player of the Year award at the Lieksa Brass Week, Finland’s most important brass event. Harjanne is now the artistic director of the festival. He has also been much in demand as a player in international brass events. In 1997 Jouko was nominated as an honorary member of the Finnish Trumpet Guild.

Harjanne’s solo performances abroad have extended as far as Russia, Japan, Republic of Korea and the USA, as well as Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. He has been a jury member of the numerous international trumpet competitions for example ARD-Munich, Maurice Andre Trumpet Competition, Budapest International Trumpet Competition, Porcia, Prague Spring and naturally Lieksa Brass Week competitions.

Harjanne’s career received an additional boost by his performing and recording in England with soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in December 1994, and by his performance, to great success, of Rodion Schedrin’s new trumpet concertos European premiere in Moscow in autumn 1995. The professional music press has ranked Harjanne among the elite class of international soloists.

Harjanne has made over 35 (39) solo recordings. In addition to recording the standard repertoire, Harjanne has gained a reputation for the recording of what are considered the trumpet’s most difficult works (e.g. the Zimmermann, Gruner, Nagao, Schedrin and Jolivet concertos). In addition to his recordings, he has performed in numerous productions for radio and TV.

Jouko Harjanne has held a number of master classes in Finland and abroad. During years 2012-2020 Harjanne was appointed as a Guest Professor of the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. In 2012 he was nominated as a Brass Ambassador of the Lieksa city.