Concentrating on contemporary music, Kriikku has served as an interpreter of works for the clarinet by composers such as Olli Koskelin, Vinko Globokar, Kaija Saariaho, Jukka Tiensuu, Jouni Kaipainen, Kimmo Hakola, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pawel Szymanski, Eero Hämeenniemi, Magnus Lindberg, Michel van der Aa, and Usko Meriläinen.

[1] Kriikku left traditional school at age 16 to join the Helsinki Garrison Band, which required him to move into Army barracks.

The United States premiere performance took place in 2010, conducted by Alan Gilbert, with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall.

"[4] Kaija Saariaho wrote the clarinet part of her orchestra concerto D’om le Vrai Sens (2010) for Kriikku to perform.

The piece received a mixed review from The Guardian, with music critic Andrew Clements writing, "it doesn’t seem to be the major addition to the clarinet repertoire that, for instance, the concerto that Magnus Lindberg composed for Kriikku in 2002 most certainly is.