Born in Jyväskylä, the son of the composer Pekka Juhani Hannikainen (and brother of the pianist Ilmari Hannikainen and conductor Väinö Hannikainen), he studied first as a cellist in Helsingfors and abroad.
He was born in Jyväskylä Pekka Juhani Hannikainen (and brother of the pianist Ilmari Hannikainen and conductor Väinö Hannikainen). He studied first as a cellist in Helsingfors and abroad. Jyväskylä was the son of the composer.