Oslo Philharmonic

The Oslo Philharmonic can look back on a history of more than 100 years. Founded in 1919 as the orchestra of the Oslo Philharmonic Society, it was able to engage such international stars as Arthur Nikisch and Jean Sibelius as conductors only two years into its existence. Under such Principal Conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, André Previn, Mariss Jansons, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and Vasily Petrenko, it rose to become an internationally acclaimed orchestra. Since the 2020-21 season, the young Finnish maestro Klaus Mäkelä has assumed responsibility as Principal Conductor. Their first major project together was a complete recording of the Sibelius symphonies, which was released in the spring of 2022; it received the “Choc de l’année” in France and the Edison Award in the Netherlands. Guest appearances have taken the Oslo Philharmonic and its new leader to Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the Paris Philharmonie, and the BBC Proms; in 2022-23, they also made appearances in Munich, Antwerp, and Dortmund. The orchestra regularly collaborates with such prominent soloists as, last season, Yuja Wang, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sol Gabetta, Khatia Buniatishvili, Lisa Batiashvili, Truls Mørk, and Leif Ove Andsnes. In 2021, the Oslo Philharmonic received the Norwegian Audience Development Innovation Award for the Interlude concert series, which the orchestra offered online during the coronavirus pandemic. It also received the Sibelius Prize in 2022 for its bridging of Finnish and Norwegian musical life.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut on 26 August 1993 in a program of works by Schnittke, Dvořák, and Shostakovich led by Mariss Jansons; last appearance here was on 15 September 2009 in an all-Sibelius program conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

July 2023