Finnish Maestro Sweeps International Awards, Returns to Korea with Philharmonia
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (40), regarded alongside Esa-Pekka Salonen and Klaus Mäkelä as a leading Finnish conductor, has risen to international prominence. A pupil of legendary Jorma Panula, Rouvali is chief conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra and honorary conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic. Born into a musical family (his parents were members of the Lahti Symphony), he studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and gained attention after stepping in to conduct the Finnish Radio Symphony in 2009. Former chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony, Rouvali has also earned prestigious awards such as France’s Diapason d’Or and Germany’s Record Critics’ Award. He will lead the Philharmonia in Seoul on December 7, conducting works including Sibelius’s symphonic poem “The Legend” and Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite.”
