Sakari Oramo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sakari Oramo (born 1965, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish conductor. He started his career as a violinist and concertmaster of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 1989, he enrolled in Jorma Panula's conducting class at the Sibelius Academy. In 1993, just one year after completing the course, he stood in for a sick conductor with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. This success led to his appointment as Co-Principal Conductor. Oramo has also worked with Finland's Avanti! ensemble.[1] Since 2003, Oramo has been sole Principal Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

In September 1996, Oramo was named Principal Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), having conducted the CBSO in two concerts prior to that appointment. He assumed the post in 1998, and in 1999, he was elevated to Music Director.[2] His work in Birmingham has included the Floof! festival of contemporary music.[3] He has also begun to champion the music of John Foulds in concerts and recordings with the CBSO.[4] [5] In 2008, Oramo is scheduled to relinquish his Birmingham posts and to become the CBSO's Principal Guest Conductor.[6]

In April 2007, Oramo was one of eight conductors of British orchestras to endorse the 10-year classical music outreach manifesto, "Building on Excellence: Orchestras for the 21st Century", to increase the presence of classical music in the UK, including giving free entry to all British schoolchildren to a classical music concert.[7] In addition to his conducting and recording work, Oramo has also published newspaper articles on music.[5] [8]

In 2008, Oramo is scheduled to become Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. His initial contract in Stockholm is for three years.[9]

Oramo is married to the Finnish soprano Anu Komsi, and they have two sons.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Andrew Clements. "Avanti!/Oramo", The Guardian, 25 October 2000. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  2. ^ Tom Service. "This man isn't rattled", The Guardian, 13 August 1999. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  3. ^ Tom Service. "Floof!", The Guardian, 31 May 2003. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  4. ^ Peter Culshaw. "Visionary genius of the spirit world", The Telegraph, 26 April 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  5. ^ a b Sakari Oramo. "The forgotten man", The Guardian, 28 April 2006. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. 
  6. ^ Terry Grimley. "Who will pick up Oramo's baton?", The Birmingham Post, 23 February 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  7. ^ Charlotte Higgins. "Orchestras urge free concerts for children", The Guardian, 26 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  8. ^ Sakari Oramo. "Stand up for the maestro", The Guardian, 25 July 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. 
  9. ^ Vivien Schweitzer. "Sakari Oramo to Succeed Alan Gilbert at Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra", Playbill Arts, 31 March 2006. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. 

[edit] External links


Preceded by
Jukka-Pekka Saraste		 Principal Conductor, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
2003–		 Succeeded by
incumbent
v • d • e
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Music Directors

Appleby Matthews (1920) · Adrian Boult (1924) · Leslie Heward (1930) · George Weldon (1944) · Rudolf Schwarz (1951) · Andrzej Panufnik (1957) · Adrian Boult (1959) · Hugo Rignold (1960) · Louis Frémaux (1969) · Simon Rattle (1980) · Sakari Oramo (1998)