“Panula’s class”: a special concert in honour of Jorma Panula’s 90th birthday

Violinist, conductor and composer Pekka Kuusisto is renowned for his artistic freedom and fresh approach to repertoire. He is Artistic Partner with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Artistic Best Friend of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and Artistic Director of the Australian ACO Collective. Kuusisto is an enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music as well as a gifted improviser, and he regularly engages with people across the artistic spectrum.

Jukka-Pekka Saraste

Jukka-Pekka Saraste has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation, demonstrating remarkable musical depth and integrity. Saraste began his career as a violinist before training as a conductor with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy. Saraste has served as Chief Conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and was Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony. He is a founding member of LEAD! Foundation Academy.

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Esa-Pekka Salonen’s restless innovation drives him constantly to reposition classical music in the 21st century. Being Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor for London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, his award-winning “RE-RITE” and “Universe of Sound” installations have introduced new ways for people to approach the classical music through audio and video projections. Salonen is also the Artist in Association at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, and the cofounder of the annual Baltic Sea Festival. He will also become Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony in August 2020.

Sakari Oramo is Chief Conductor of both the BBC Symphony and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic orchestras. His performances have been praised to combine structural cohesion with authority, elegance and passionate delivery. Since January 2020, Oramo is the Professor of Orchestral Training and Orchestral Conducting at the Sibelius Academy, succeeding Jorma Panula, Leif Segerstam and Atso Almila.

Klaus Mäkelä

Klaus Mäkelä is Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra from August 2020, and becomes Music Director of Orchestre de Paris in September 2022. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Artist in Association with Tapiola Sinfonietta, and Artistic Director of the Turku Music Festival. Mäkelä started his conducting studies at the Sibelius Academy’s Junior Academy with Jorma Panula at the age of 12.

Dalia Stasevska

Dalia Stasevska’s charismatic and dynamic musicianship has established her as a conductor of exceptional versatility. She currently serves as Principal Guest Conductor to the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and will begin as Chief Conductor of Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Sibelius Festival in 2021. Stasevska has studied violin, viola and conducting at the Sibelius Academy, and her teachers in conducting include Jorma Panula and Leif Segerstam.

Celebrating his 90th birthday this year, the conductor Jorma Panula is a renowned composer and arranger, but is most well-known for his role as Professor of Orchestral Training and Orchestral Conducting at the Sibelius Academy, where he served from 1973 until 1994. As a pedagogue, Panula has been a teacher and mentor to many Finnish internationally acclaimed conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä, Sakari Oramo and Susanna Mälkki.

Finnish Chamber Orchestra Kamariorkesteri

““The Finnish Chamber Orchestra is the result of a development that has taken place in Finland over last decades. Its members are at the forefront of Finnish musicianship. Over the years, the orchestra has become extremely dynamic and demonstrates remarkable musical sensitivity.” -Jukka-Pekka Saraste

The Finnish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1990. The musicians are prominent members of Finnish music life as concertmasters, principals and leading instructors. These top musicians gather to work together in a unique ensemble of the highest quality.

The orchestra’s Artistic Advisor Jukka-Pekka Saraste is also the Artistic Director of Ekenäs Summer Concerts. Apart from Saraste, the Finnish Chamber Orchestra has worked with other top Finnish conductors, including Paavo Berglund, Sakari Oramo, Okko Kamu, Ralf Gothóni, and Hannu Lintu. Since the year 2000 the Finnish Chamber Orchestra has been the driving force behind the annual Ekenäs Summer Concerts.