Arto Noras (born 12 May 1942 in Turku) is a Finnish cellist who started his studies in Sibelius Academy at age of 8 years. His teacher was Yrjö Selin. Noras continued his studies in Paris where his teacher was Paul Tortelier.
Arto Noras is founder and Artistic Director of the Naantali Music Festival, is one of Finland's most celebrated instrumentalists and amongst the most outstanding internationally acknowledged cellists of his generation. He is known as an expressive and technically brilliant soloist and as an intensive and sensitive chamber musician. After completing his studies with Professor Yrjo Selin at the Sibelius Academy, Arto Noras studied with Paul Tortelier at the Paris Conservatoire where he gained the coveted Premier Prix diploma in 1964. Two years later he was awarded second prize in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which immediately opened his way to the most important concert halls in Europe and both North and South America where he has performed regularly ever since, the Danish Sonning Prize in 1967 and Finnish State music prize in 1972.
Arto Noras' repertoire covers all the principal works that have been written for his instrument, including those by contemporary composers, and he has recorded them extensively for the Finlandia recording label. In 1970 Arto Noras was appointed Professor of Cello at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is considerable demand as a jurist for the most important competitions that have included the Tchaikovsky, Casals and Cassado competitions and he gives masterclasses all over the world. He can be heard as a most distinguished chamber musician as a member of the Helsinki Trio and as a founder member of the Sibelius Academy Quartet as well as with several other groups of similarly distinguished musicians.
In 1966 Noras won the 2nd place award in Moscow at the International Tchaikovsky Competition.