 She gave her New York debut at the 92nd Street Y in 1999 to critical acclaim.Vähälä has performed with orchestras including Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Turku and Tampere Philharmonic as well as Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.She has worked with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Okko Kamu, Sakari Oramo, Sir Jeffrey Tate, Eiji Oue, Carlos Kalmar, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leif Segerstam, Hannu Lintu, Jakub Hrusa, and toured throughout the UK, Germany, China, Korea and North and South America.