Ruut DeMeo (artist name: Ruut)

About Ruut

Ruut DeMeo (artist name, Ruut) is a Finnish-born, multidisciplinary artist whose work as a musician, author, and educator celebrates the transformative power of creativity and cultural heritage. Known for two decades in Baltimore as the city’s beloved “piano girl,” she has released nine independent albums and performed internationally.

Ruut comes from an artistic lineage—her grandfather, Aulis Sallinen, is Finland’s most celebrated living opera composer—yet she is largely self-taught, building a unique and authentic body of work through collaborations with industry figures including Billy Steinberg, Jeff Trott, and Frank Wolf. Her artistry is deeply influenced by Finnish oral storytelling traditions and the shamanistic worldview of her ancestors.

Beyond her creative work, Ruut is an educator and leader. She has taught in public schools, lectured at universities, and worked as an instructional designer. She holds an MFA from Antioch University and has been recognized with fellowships for both her writing and her music. She has served for three years as president of the Finlandia Foundation Baltimore Area chapter, where she has built community through concerts and cultural programming. She also co-wrote a 2025 National Sauna Week theme song in collaboration with Ida Metsberg, FFN’s 2023 Performer of the Year.

Ruut is the founder of Making Her Mark, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women artists facing barriers in sharing their work. Her upcoming album, Motherland, is a musical journey into Finnish mythology and heritage, bridging past and present through song. Closely tied to her forthcoming novel, which reimagines the world and characters of the Kalevala, the project embodies her lifelong vision: that creativity is not only an act of expression, but of renewal—a way to connect, to remember, and to shape the human experience.