Jaakko Kuusisto continues as Chief Conductor of Kuopio Symphony Orchestra

Published 04.03.2021

Contract extended until the summer 2023

Jaakko Kuusisto will continue his tenure as Chief Conductor of the KSO. His contract has been extended until the summer 2023. Kuusisto was appointed as the artistic director of the KSO in August 2018 with a three-year contract. Kuusisto is widely appreciated in Finnish and international music life. In addition to his career as a conductor he is known also as a composer and a violinist.

Jaakko Kuusisto was appointed as the Chief Conductor of the KSO in August 2018 with a three-year contract including a possibility to an extension. The Chief Conductor oversees the orchestra’s artistic planning and conducts the orchestra eight concert weeks per year. The Kuopio Music Centre and the KSO were already familiar to Kuusisto before his work as the Chief Conductor and his time in Kuopio has only strengthened the co-operation.

Conductor, composer and violinist Jaakko Kuusisto enjoys an extensive career that was launched by a series of successes in international violin competitions in the 1990s. He is one of the most frequently recorded Finnish instrumentalists. Kuusisto performs regularly as soloist and chamber musician, and has held the position of artistic director at several festivals. Currently he is the artistic director of the Oulu Music Festival with a commitment through 2021.

Kuusisto’s conducting repertoire is equally versatile and ranges from baroque to the latest new works, regardless of genre. He has worked with many leading orchestras, including Minnesota Orchestra; Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras; National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa; NDR Hannover, DeFilharmonie in Belgium; Chamber Orchestras of Tallinn and Lausanne; Helsinki, Turku and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestras; Lahti Symphony Orchestra as well as the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra. Kuusisto served as principal guest conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra during 2005-2009. As opera conductor, he has worked at the Finnish National Opera, the Savonlinna Opera Festival, and at the Ilmajoki Music Festival.

Kuusisto’s compositions consist of nearly 40 opuses: chamber and vocal music, orchestral pieces, operas, as well as music for films. Concertos form an important part of his works; the Cello Concerto written for Arto Noras, premiered at the Naantali Music Festival in June 2019, opened the KSO Spring Season 2021 and the Violin Concerto, written for Elina Vähälä, has become an international success. The Canine Kalevala, Kuusisto’s family opera was hugely popular at the Savonlinna Opera Festival and has since had several productions elsewhere.

The Second Conductor of the KSO is Atso Almila and the Honorary Conductor Jorma Panula. Previous conductors of the KSO: Alberto Hold-Garrido 2013-2018, Sascha Goetzel 2007-2013, Vello Pähn 2003-2006, Shuntaro Sato 2000-2003, Atso Almila 1995-2000 and from 2007 on, Robert Black 1992-1993, Pertti Pekkanen 1998-1991, Nicholas Smith 1982-1989 and Lauri Siimes 1962-1980.

KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Producer & Publicity Manager Elina Prepula, tel. 044 718 2364, elina.prepula(at)kuopio.fi

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