Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra has a history going back 140 years: it was founded in 1882 by Robert Kajanus as the first professional symphony orchestra in the Nordic countries. Starting as an ensemble of 36 musicians, it has grown into an orchestra comprising 102 permanent members today, reaching some 110,000 visitors annually through its performances at the Helsinki Music Centre (Musiikkitalo) and guest appearances abroad. Between 1892 and 1923, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra premiered almost all of Jean Sibelius’s symphonic works under the composer’s direction. Nowadays the orchestra carries forward its legacy of commitment to contemporary music through such initiatives as the “Helsinki Variations” series: between 2019 and 2025, it will have presented new works by 12 composers that bridge the gap between contemporary music and Helsinki-themed compositions written before 1945. After Robert Kajanus, who shaped the course of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra for half a century, Paavo Berglund (1975-79), Leif Segerstam (1995-2007), and John Storgårds (2008-15), among others, stood at the helm. Susanna Mälkki has held the post of Principal Conductor since 2016. Numerous CDs document the orchestra’s work. Particularly notable among them are a recording of selected songs by Sibelius with Leif Segerstam and the soprano Soile Isokoski, which won the Midem Classical Award in 2007, and the album Towards the Horizon featuring music by Einojuhani Rautavaara conducted by John Storgårds, which won the Gramophone Award in 2012.

July 2022