Osmo Vänskä

Highly respected conductor and composer Osmo Vänskä – born in Sääminki, Finland on February 28, 1953 - began his journey into the world of classical music as a clarinetist with Finland's oldest established ensemble, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. After establishing his reputation with Turku, he moved on to become principal clarinetist with the Helsinki Philharmonic, a position he held from 1977 to 1982, During this time, he also began to study conducting under the guidance of Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy. In 1982, Osmo Vänskä won the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors in France. This prestigious award led to him taking up a role as principal guest conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Finland), eventually becoming the orchestra's chief conductor in 1988. Since then, he has established himself on the international stage and has held conducting roles with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the acclaimed Minnesota Orchestra (Minneapolis). It was with Minnesota that Osmo Vänskä's input has garnered the most acclaim and his influence has had a significant impact on the quality of the orchestra's performances. His tenure with Minnesota Orchestra came to an end ten years after his initial appointment following a labor dispute with the musicians. Ironically, Osmo Vänskä and the orchestra won a Grammy Award for their album Sibelius: Symphonies 1 & 4 (2013) and this led to his reinstatement. He remains the orchestra's music director and has become an influential figure in the US classical music scene. With a vast catalog spanning more than four decades, his catalog includes albums such as Aho: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Symphony No. 13 (2010), Sibelius: Lemminkainen - The Wood-Nymph (2014), Mahler 4 (2019), and Mahler 9 (2023).

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