Klaus Mäkelä

The top orchestras from Oslo, Paris, Chicago and Amsterdam share the young Finn as their current and future chief conductor. And all make their way with their maestro to the Elbphilharmonie this season – plus the Vienna Philharmonic

Klaus Mäkelä
Klaus Mäkelä © Sophie Wolter

He is just 28 years old and already belongs in the premier league of international conducting stars: Klaus Mäkelä from Finland. He has been Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020; in 2022, he took up another top position as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris. And now the Helsinki-born conductor is also the Chief Conductor Designate of two outstanding orchestras: firstly, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam, which is widely regarded as one of the best orchestras around with its silky sound. And secondly, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra recently appointed him as its leader from 2027.

In the 2024/25 season, the young high-flyer now returns to the Hanseatic city with three of »his« orchestras for two concerts each and presents some key works of symphonic literature at these guest performances: from Ludwig van Beethoven’s most widely performed Piano Concerto No. 5 and Igor Stravinsky’s scandalous ballet »Le sacre du printemps« to Béla Bartók’s impressive Concerto for Orchestra. Mäkelä also conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony – a special spectacle for the ears, played by one of the world’s best orchestras.

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