Finland's Sibelius Academy Appoints New Professor of Orchestral Conducting

Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki will succeed Sakari Oramo

The Sibelius Academy at the Uniarts Helsinki has announced that the Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki will be its next Professor of Orchestral Conducting. Mälkki will step into the role on August 1, 2025, at which point she will succeed Sakari Oramo.

One of Finland’s most sought-after conductors internationally, Susanna Mälkki served as Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra from 2016 to 2023, Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 2017 to 2021, Principal Guest Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon from 2013 to 2016, and Music Director of Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris from 2006 to 2013.

She studied cello at the Edsberg Music Institute in Sweden, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and the Sibelius Academy, before undertaking conducting studies at the Academy.

"I am greatly inspired by the opportunity to teach at my alma mater and to further develop the Sibelius Academy’s renowned conductor education to respond to the ever-changing needs of the cultural field," Mälkki said.

"Conductor training is possibly the most comprehensive education in the field of music. In the future, we will continue to need artists with both sound professional skills and insight as well as a sense of responsibility for the living history of music and its transmission to audiences and future generations."

"Susanna Mälkki’s appointment is a unique and historic moment for us," said Emilie Gardberg, Dean of the Sibelius Academy. "It is an honor to welcome one of today’s leading conductors into our community, bringing an exceptional breadth of artistic experience to the Sibelius Academy’s internationally renowned conducting and orchestral education."

Of late, Sakari Oramo has offered a public critique of the school — with the Finnish outlet Helsingin Sanomat reporting that he had described the Academy as "lost...it has grown too big and multi-disciplinary and content doesn't seem to matter."

The Sibelius Academy has a history of producing some of the world's top conductors, particularly during the period in which Jorma Panula was teaching there. Among its graduates are Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hannu Lintu, as well as Mälkki and Oramo themselves.