After a two-year international search, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has announced young Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen as Music Director from 2008. "I am delighted that Pietari Inkinen will be the NZSO's next Music Director," said Chief Executive Peter Walls. "He is a brilliant musician and is already providing immense musical stimulation to our players and audiences."After a two-year international search, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has announced young Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen as Music Director from 2008. "I am delighted that Pietari Inkinen will be the NZSO's next Music Director," said Chief Executive Peter Walls. "He is a brilliant musician and is already providing immense musical stimulation to our players and audiences.""Already, too, we've become aware of some of Pietari's illustrious friends who are keen to come and work with him here as soloists and our early discussions with him about his artistic vision suggests that we are in for exciting times."

Inkinen has been a rising star of the international music scene for some time now, and there is no doubt that this appointment will attract a standing ovation around the globe. He becomes part of a trend that sees major orchestras looking for music directors with extraordinary promise - orchestras such as The Los Angeles Philharmonic who recently appointed 26 year-old Gustavo Dudamel, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic who has chosen Yannick Nezet-Seguin (aged 32) to succeed the legendary Valery Gergiev.

Of his new position, Maestro Inkinen said, "I am absolutely thrilled to be appointed Music Director of an orchestra that has a high artistic standard recognised both nationally and internationally. Right from my first encounter of the orchestra, when rehearsing in January 2006, I saw that these musicians were highly committed to presenting New Zealand classical music with a freshness that is contagious. I am looking forward to touring both internationally and around the country, sharing this wonderful orchestra with their audiences."

Inkinen has a stellar career and is now conducting major orchestras in Europe and the United States. In the near future, for example, he will conduct the BBC Symphony, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, Maggio Musicale, Japan Philharmonic and the Cincinatti Symphony.

Inkinen is also highly regarded as a violinist. He is charismatic, has a past history of playing in rock groups (and soccer teams) and offers the NZSO an opportunity to reach out to diverse audiences.

Though Pietari is yet to roll out his entire artistic vision for the NZSO, audiences can expect the quality bar to be raised even higher, concerts that will thrill and excite, new recordings on the shelves (or in e-music libraries), and a greater international profile. Already major guest artists have indicated their desire to work with Inkinen and his new orchestra.

Pietari Inkinen succeeds James Judd, who stepped down as Music Director at the end of March (and now holds the honorary position of Music Director Emeritus). It is expected that Inkinen will spend 10-12 weeks each year in New Zealand with subscription season performances, recordings, special projects and artistic matters.

Audiences in New Zealand won't have to wait long to see him again this year - he's back in July to conduct eight concerts with Canadian violinist Leila Josefowicz in programmes that include works by Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and New Zealand's Anthony Ritchie - and two works by his own nation's pre-eminent composer, Jean Sibelius.

21/5/07

Image: © Tanja Ahola