Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Comprising 97 musicians, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra is one of Scandinavia’s foremost symphony orchestras. Its artistic director Santtu-Matias Rouvali assumed the post in autumn 2013.
The orchestra has its home in Tampere Hall, the largest concert hall in Finland. The TPO offers a symphony and a chamber music series, performs as resident opera and ballet orchestra and plays regularly at the Tampere Biennale contemporary music festival. Educational projects and other events for young listeners are a major commitment of the orchestra, and it is the first orchestra in Finland with a club for young listeners. The orchestra has so far been on tour in Scandinavia, Estonia, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States.
The TPO has an impressive discography of over 50 recordings mainly for the Ondine label, featuring works by George Enescu, Jouni Kaipainen, Uljas Pulkkis, Einojuhani Rautavaara, John Corigliano, and Jean Sibelius, to name a few. The recordings have received excellent reviews and awards, such as the Cannes Classical Disc of the Year Award 2004 (for Pēteris Vasks’s Symphony No. 2) and a total of five Cannes Classical Awards. The first classical Emma Award was presented to the recording of Jukka Tiensuu’s music in 2007. The première recording of the opera Kaivos (The Mine) by Einojuhani Rautavaara was nominated for a Grammy in 2012.
The history of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra dates back to the year 1930. Since 1947 it has been maintained by the city of Tampere. Its previous chief conductors have been Hannu Lintu, John Storgards, the conductor laureate Eri Klas, Tuomas Hannikainen, Leonid Grin, Ari Rasilainen, Atso Almila, Paavo Rautio, Juhani Raiskinen and Eero Kosonen.
