Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
© Sakari Röyskö
The orchestra of Sibelius
- JUKKA PEKKA SARASTE
- Chief Conductor and Artistic Director
- PEKKA KUUSISTO
- Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Co-director
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‘Most striking throughout the evening was the consonance and color. The orchestra played with a wonderful sense of everything coming together in the intonation and fullness – no matter the dynamics – of chords. There was the sensation of perfect pace and musical logic of each forward step’
New York Classical Review
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the oldest continuously operating professional symphony orchestras in the Nordic countries, having been founded in 1882 and premiered the majority of Jean Sibelius’s orchestral compositions. It made its first tour in 1900, performing at the Paris World Fair, and since then has taken more than 100 tours, covering every continent. As part of its 140th anniversary celebrations it was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center.
With its rich history and distinctive sound, the orchestra works with renowned artists, most recently including Joshua Bell, Leila Josefowicz, Stuart Skelton, Esperanza Spalding, and composers Joe Hisaishi and Kaija Saariaho. Previous Chief Conductors include John Storgårds and Susanna Mälkki, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nathalie Stutzmann and Osmo Vänskä have also taken the podium in Helsinki Music Centre with HPO.
The orchestra has made more than 100 recordings, many featuring works by Jean Sibelius and Einojuhani Rautavaara, as well as commissioned and premieres by leading international composers. The album of songs by Sibelius, featuring soprano Soile Isokoski and Leif Segerstam, was awarded the MIDEM Classical Award in Cannes, and Towards the Horizon, with music by Rautavaara under the baton of John Storgårds, won a Gramophone Award.
Reaching an audience of at least 100,000 a year at the Helsinki Music Centre, the orchestra is increasingly part of the international classical music scene. It is recognised for its strong investment in reaching different audiences through, for example, the HPO Kids project and its own HKO Screen online concerts.
