Niskanen started his musical career as an entertainment musician, playing piano, keyboard and accordion, accompanying many of the well-known Finnish artists of the 1970s-1980s.
Niskanen studied piano at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and obtained diploma in improvisation and free accompaniment.
He studied singing at the Sibelius Academy, in London with Vera Rózsa and in Vienna and Berlin with Peter Berne.
Niskanen made his professional debut in Fidelio at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 1992, and was invited to Zürich Opernhaus.
He has given concert performances in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and United States, with many leading conductors.