Susanna Mälkki
A high profile Finnish conductor is to become a professor of conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland
Finnish conductor and cellist Susanna Mälkki (born 1969, Helsinki) has been appointed professor of orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy of Uniarts Helsinki in Finland. She will assume her new position on 1 August 2025. The Finnish press release tells us that she 'is the new visionary in the long continuum of Finland's internationally renowned conductor education'.
Susanna Mälkki. Photo © 2019 Jiyang Cheng
Susanna Mälkki says:
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.
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.
The professorship in conducting and orchestral education is a permanent part-time position, allowing for the continuation of a busy international career in opera and concert alongside academic responsibilities. Mälkki succeeds Sakari Oramo, who will step down from the position in Summer 2025.
Emilie Gardberg, Dean of the Sibelius Academy of Uniarts Helsinki, comments:
Susanna Mälkki's appointment is a unique and historic moment for us. It is an honour 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.
The Sibelius Academy's conductor education is one of Finland's most prestigious areas of excellence, attracting continuous international interest. Its cornerstones include nearly weekly practice with a dedicated training orchestra and established collaborations with professional orchestras across Finland.
The international conducting class consists of between seven and nine students at a time, with only one or two new students admitted annually through a rigorous selection process. The Sibelius Academy's orchestral training involves approximately three hundred orchestral instrument students across various degree programmes each year.
The recruitment process for the new professor of conducting and orchestral education was carried out through an invitation-based procedure.
Emilie Gardberg explains:
Top conductors with international careers are highly sought after and often booked years in advance. Most do not apply for positions in open calls but are invited for both artistic and teaching positions. For these reasons, we saw the invitation process as the primary option for filling this professorship.
Further information: susannamalkki.com
Posted 11 March 2025 by Keith Bramich
