Exception, talent, Wunderkind. These are the first associations when the Finn Klaus Mäkelä (*1996) is described. For hardly any musical profession in the classical music scene is more associated with maturity than that of a conductor. Therefore, Mäkelä’s appearance on the stages of this world turns many things upside down. Young, thoughtful, lively and with an impressive presence, the conductor has dedicated himself to music. At the age of less than 30, he has reached the top of several renowned orchestras: chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, music director of the Orchestre de Paris and future chief conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. Although he will not assume this post until 2027, he is already familiarising himself with the musicians as Artistic Partner. He can also be heard as a guest conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony and New York Philharmonic.
The large footprints of his predecessors – von Karajan, Sir Solti, Barenboim, Järvi and Harding, to name but a few – do not seem to frighten him in any way. Rather, he wants to explore his own experiences and feelings through the music and, equally, to allow the audience to do the same. So Klaus Mäkelä is a conductor who is sure to make a big impact in the future!