Avanti! Chamber Orchestra was founed in 1983 at the initiative of conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jukka-Pekka Saraste and flautist Olli Pohjola to satisfy a need for high-quality ensemble work by enthusiastic and highly skilled musicians, and because it was recognised that a great deal of contemporary music and other rare repertoire would remain unperformed otherwise.
Established in 2009, the early-music Ensemble Nylandia plays everything but promises nothing. Evolving over time into one of Finland’s most versatile and multifaceted collectives, Ensemble Nylandia has gained recognition for the sheer breadth of its innovative musical productions, unwavering in both quality and open-mindedness.
New commissions for period instruments, fresh interpretations of old repertoire, courageous and innovative working methods, unique concepts that engage a diverse audience – FiBO offers all this while being an influential force in the Nordic cultural scene.
The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), and its mission is to produce and promote Finnish musical culture. Its Chief Conductor is Nicholas Collon. In addition to the great Classical-Romantic pieces, the latest contemporary music is a major item in the repertoire of the FRSO, which each year premieres a number of Yle commissions.
For twenty years Helsinki Baroque Orchestra’s performances and recordings have been captivating audiences with their potent combination of emotional eloquence and infectious vitality.
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (founded 1882), has been operating without a break for 140 years. It has grown from a band of 36 players to an orchestra of 102 regular members giving concerts attended by a total audience of a good 100,000 a year at the Helsinki Music Centre and abroad.
The Hyvinkää Orchestra was officially founded in 1962 though it gave its first concert already in 1959. This purely amateur band has since developed into an orchestra with the core of players consisting mainly of teachers of the Hyvinkää and nearby music colleges, professional musicians and local players studying to become professional musicians.
The Joensuu City Orchestra is an energetic symphony orchestra with a diverse repertoire and 35 active musicians.
Jyväskylä Sinfonia is the jewel of classical music in Central Finland, with its heart beating in Jyväskylä and its sound resonating throughout the region. Each year, the orchestra’s more than 150 events reach over 40,000 listeners, ranging from symphony concerts to cross-genre special productions and musical events. The orchestra’s chief conductor is Italian maestro Lorenzo Passerini.
The Kemi City Orchestra is a flexible ensemble able to adapt to a repertoire of various music genres. Collaboration with the local theatre and choirs and premieres of contemporary Finnish music are annual items on the agenda of this youthful, progressive orchestra.
Kuopio Symphony Orchestra maintains over the 110-year-old orchestra tradition as the largest symphony orchestra of Eastern Finland. The Chief Conductor of the KSO as of from the beginning of the year 2023 is Eugene Tzigane, Atso Almila acts as the Second Conductor and Jorma Panula as the Honorary Conductor.
The Kymi Sinfonietta established on 1.1.1999 consists of musicians from the Kotka and Kouvola City Orchestras combined at the end of 1998. Now an orchestra of Sinfonietta strength, it has 29 regular players.
Founded in 1972, the Lapland Chamber Orchestra – Rovaniemi City Orchestra is the northernmost professional chamber orchestra in Finland and indeed in the entire EU. The orchestra has 19 full-time members and its Artistic Director is conductor, violinist John Storgårds.
The Lappeenranta City Orchestra, now in its second century, is a dynamic driving force in the province of South Karelia.
Agile and scalable Lohja City Orchestra was established in 1964 and it is the only professional orchestra in the western Uusimaa region. The dynamic core of the orchestra with12 permanent musicians can be expanded, if necessary, with freelance musicians into a chamber or symphony orchestra. The orchestra is a trusted partner to many top choirs and star soloists and has played, among others, with Jose Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Rolando Villazoni, Andrea Boccelli and the Il Divo tenors. The artistic director of the orchestra is the conductor-violinist Jukka Untamala.
The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra (OCO) from Kokkola, Finland, was founded by the Orchestra's Honorary Conductor Juha Kangas in 1972 and has been a professional orchestra since 1989. The homogeneous sound and dynamic impact of the Orchestra are a result of years of playing together. Sakari Oramo has served as the Artistic Director of the Orchestra 2013-2019. The new Artistic Director, Malin Broman, took up her appointment in autumn 2019.
Oulu Sinfonia is Finland’s northernmost symphony orchestra, originally founded in 1937 and municipalized in 1961. Current name Oulu Sinfonia was adopted in 2005. The orchestra has 61 professional full-time musicians.
Pori Sinfonietta is a lively orchestra of a high standard. Pori Sinfonietta (Pori City Orchestra) participates in a variety of events in its home city, the surrounding province and other parts of Finland. It has 31 musicians.
The Savonlinna Orchestra, the former Savonlinna Music Society, has long occupied a leading position in the musical life of the town, having functioned with a few brief intervals since 1915.
The Seinäjoki City Orchestra was founded in 1936. Its conductors have included Seppo Laamanen, Eino Haipus, Antti Vainio and Atso Almila. In the Years 2010 – 2014 conductor Tuomas Rousi was appointed orchestra´s artistic director. From year 2015 a new system of artistic direction was created, The Artistic Trio/Directors, which consists of two musicians from the orchestra, and Managing Director.
Since 1916, the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra has been the backbone of the education of Finnish orchestral musicians. In spectacular productions, the Academy’s young soloists also often get the opportunity to showcase their skills. Susanna Mälkki, Professor of Orchestra Education, is responsible for the educational content of the orchestra.
The Lahti Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra for Lahti, Finland and the world that is proud of its traditions but also has an innovative attitude. At the heart of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra’s activity is a broad and wide-ranging series of symphony concerts, plus high-quality concerts of lighter music. Considerable emphasis is laid on work directed at children and young people in the Lahti area.
St. Michel Strings, based in the city of Mikkeli in eastern Finland, is a professional string ensemble of 12 full time musicians. St. Michel Strings dates back to 1903, when a small town of only a few thousand residents had a local music association that founded an orchestra.
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, comprising 97 musicians, is one of Scandinavia's foremost symphony orchestras. Chief conductor Matthew Halls started as the Artistic Director of the orchestra in autumn 2023.
The roots of the Tapiola Sinfonietta are in the Tapiola district of Espoo, a garden city that has been designated part of Finland’s national landscape. The orchestra is known for its broad and diverse repertoire and also for occasionally performing in chamber music fashion, without a conductor.
The Finnish Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1990, is a vocation for its members. The musicians are in the forefront of Finnish orchestras: concertmasters and principals, prominent instructors, and freelance artists. These top musicians have gathered to work together in a unique ensemble where art comes before routine, and quality before compromise.
The Representative Orchestra of the President of the Republic, the Guards Band is the oldest continuously operating professional orchestra in Finland. Nowadays the official representative band of the Finnish Defence Forces consists of 42 full-time musicians and performs at military events and state events.
The Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, founded in 1963, is the largest symphony orchestra in Finland. Today, the National Opera Orchestra has 110 members from 17 different nationalities. In addition to opera and ballet performances, the Opera Orchestra also regularly holds its own concerts. The Chief Conductor of the National Opera Orchestra is Hannu Lintu.
The roots of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra stretch back to the year 1790 and the founding of The Musical Society in Turku. The oldest orchestra in Finland – and one of the oldest in the world – the Turku Philharmonic was taken over by its host City in 1927. At the time it had 29 players, as against 74 today.
UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra: great achievements and mastery in jazz since 1975!
Regular orchestral concerts in Vaasa date back to 1930, when an Orchestra Society was founded in the town. In 1974, the orchestra became part of the City of Vaasa.
The Vantaa Pops Orchestra has 65 professional players. Its conductor and Artistic Director since 1988 to 2009 was Markku Johansson, under whom it has profiled itself as the only symphonic line-up in Finland specialising light music. Its roots do, however, stretch back more than half a century to 1948, when it went by the name of the Tikkurila Orchestral Society.
Founded in 1986, the Vivo Symphony Orchestra is a philharmonic orchestra of young players from all over Finland. Their average age is 18, ranging from ages 14 to 23. The majority of the players are either in high school or already full-time music students, for whom Vivo offers an opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge and orchestral experience required in various musical professions.
