The Most Famous
CONDUCTORS from Finland
This page contains a list of the greatest Finnish Conductors. The pantheon dataset contains 128 Conductors, 6 of which were born in Finland. This makes Finland the birth place of the 7th most number of Conductors behind United States, and Austria.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Finnish Conductors of all time. This list of famous Finnish Conductors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Leif Segerstam (1944 - 2024)
With an HPI of 56.36, Leif Segerstam is the most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.
Leif Selim Segerstam ( LAYF, 2 March 1944 – 9 October 2024) was a Finnish conductor, composer, violinist, violist, and pianist, especially known for writing over 300 symphonies, along with other works. From 1963 onward Segerstam conducted a variety of orchestras in Europe, the Americas and Australia. He was conductor at the Finnish National Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and was chief conductor of the ORF Symphony Orchestra, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the Danish National Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. He is widely known through his recordings, including the complete symphonies of Blomdahl, Brahms, Mahler, Nielsen, and Sibelius, as well as many works by contemporary composers. He is remembered for his contributions to the Finnish music scene, and his vibrant personality. He taught as professor of orchestra conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
2. Esa-Pekka Salonen (b. 1958)
With an HPI of 53.02, Esa-Pekka Salonen is the 2nd most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Esa-Pekka Salonen (pronounced [ˈesɑˌpekːɑ ˈsɑlonen] ; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, he announced his resignation from the San Francisco Symphony upon the expiration of his contract in 2025.
3. Robert Kajanus (1856 - 1933)
With an HPI of 51.98, Robert Kajanus is the 3rd most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Robert Kajanus (2 December 1856 – 6 July 1933) was a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher. In 1882, he founded the Helsinki Orchestral Society, Finland's first professional orchestra. As a conductor, he was also a notable champion and interpreter of the music of Jean Sibelius.
4. Jorma Panula (b. 1930)
With an HPI of 51.78, Jorma Panula is the 4th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Jorma Juhani Panula (born 10 August 1930) is a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher of conducting. He has mentored many Finnish conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä, Klaus Mäkelä and Tarmo Peltokoski.
5. Paavo Berglund (1929 - 2012)
With an HPI of 50.91, Paavo Berglund is the 5th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund (14 April 1929 – 25 January 2012) was a Finnish conductor and violinist.
6. Jukka-Pekka Saraste (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 49.06, Jukka-Pekka Saraste is the 6th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste (born 22 April 1956) is a Finnish conductor and violinist.
7. Okko Kamu (b. 1946)
With an HPI of 46.77, Okko Kamu is the 7th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Okko Tapani Kamu (born 7 March 1946, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and violinist. Kamu was born in Helsinki, the son of Adam Kamu, a musician, and his wife Eine (Syrjänen) Kamu, a violin maker. His father played double bass in the Helsinki Philharmonic. He began violin studies at age two and entered the Sibelius Academy at age six. He formed his own string quartet, the Suhonen, in 1964 where he played first violin. At age 20, he was appointed first solo violinist at the Finnish National Opera, and held this post until 1968. He then began to conduct, initially with the Finnish National Opera orchestra. Primarily self-taught, he became principal guest conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1969, the same year as he won the first Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in Berlin. From 1971 to 1977, Kamu was principal conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Outside of Finland, Kamu was principal conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic from 1975 to 1979. He has also held leadership positions with the Stockholm Sinfonietta. He has been chief guest conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. He was principal guest conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra until 2017. Kamu was chief conductor of the Finnish National Opera from 1996 to 2000. He has been a noted conductor of the operas of Aulis Sallinen in the opera house where he conducted the premieres of The Red Line, King Lear and The Palace, and on record. He also conducted the premieres of Sallinen's 2nd and 3rd symphonies, and has recorded others. In April 2009, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Kamu as its next chief conductor, as of the autumn of 2011. Kamu's initial contract was through the spring of 2014. In November 2012, the orchestra announced the extension of Kamu's contract through the end of July 2016, at which time he concluded his tenure in Lahti. Kamu has recorded more than 100 discs for various labels, such as Finlandia and Musica Sveciae. For Naxos Records, he has recorded Franz Berwald's four symphonies and his piano concerto; Aulis Sallinen's Complete Music for String Orchestra; flute concertos by Penderecki, Takemitsu and Sallinen. Kamu's two discs of Berwald for Naxos both received the rare Diapason d'Or award. In 1994, Kamu became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. He was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland medal in 1999 by then president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari.
8. Osmo Vänskä (b. 1953)
With an HPI of 45.65, Osmo Vänskä is the 8th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Osmo Antero Vänskä (born 28 February 1953) is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer.
People
Pantheon has 8 people classified as Finnish conductors born between 1856 and 1958. Of these 8, 5 (62.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Finnish conductors include Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jorma Panula, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The most famous deceased Finnish conductors include Leif Segerstam, Robert Kajanus, and Paavo Berglund. As of April 2024, 2 new Finnish conductors have been added to Pantheon including Jorma Panula, and Okko Kamu.
Living Finnish Conductors
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Esa-Pekka Salonen
1958 - Present
HPI: 53.02
Jorma Panula
1930 - Present
HPI: 51.78
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
1956 - Present
HPI: 49.06
Okko Kamu
1946 - Present
HPI: 46.77
Osmo Vänskä
1953 - Present
HPI: 45.65
Deceased Finnish Conductors
Go to all RankingsLeif Segerstam
1944 - 2024
HPI: 56.36
Robert Kajanus
1856 - 1933
HPI: 51.98
Paavo Berglund
1929 - 2012
HPI: 50.91
Newly Added Finnish Conductors (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Conductors were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Conductors since 1700.
