Kristian Sallinen

Conductor

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“Sallinen […] is a natural conductor. He has a rhythmic drive and a sense of style, as well the ability to break boundaries with a cheerful sense of humour.”
Helsingin Sanomat

Finnish conductor Kristian Sallinen is an exceptional young talent who exhibits a natural authority and charismatic flair on the podium. He has already worked with many of the leading Finnish orchestras and is rapidly gaining international recognition.

The 2024/25 season features several notable engagements, including returns to Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Sinfonia Lahti for subscription debuts, as well as Norwegian, Swedish, Latvian and Portuguese debuts – again in subscription concerts – with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Västerås Sinfonietta, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Musica. Sallinen’s growing international profile extends to first-time collaborations with Luxembourg Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic and Iceland Symphony orchestras, as well as returns to the UK for debut appearances with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Kristian Sallinen -Edits-Uudet-12 credits to Tuomas Tenkanen — Kristian Sallinen © Tuomas Tenkanen

From Mozart and Beethoven to Dvořák, Sibelius, Britten and Bacewicz, Sallinen’s wide-ranging repertoire also features a strong interest in contemporary music; 2024/25 highlights include conducting ‘2024 festival composer’ Jessie Montgomery’s music at the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival, and presenting the world premiere of Finnish compatriot Jouni Hirvelä’s Helsinki Variations together with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Engagement highlights of the 2023/24 season included two return invitations to BBC Symphony Orchestra, following Sallinen’s October 2023 debut; first-time appearances with Berner Symphonieorchester, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra; and performances with Tampere and Turku philharmonic orchestras, among others. In January 2024 the television show “Piece of My Life”, featuring Sallinen with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in concert, was broadcast to 850,000 viewers in Finland, roughly one in six of the country’s population.

Due to complete his Orchestral Conducting studies (with Sakari Oramo) at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in spring 2025, Sallinen is a former student of Jorma Panula and has been mentored by Paavo Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Hannu Lintu, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Susanna Mälkki, among others. His musical studies began at the age of five on the violin, and in 2013 he switched to the viola. A national prize-winner and member of the Seele String Quartet, Sallinen has performed at festivals across Europe and appeared as a soloist with orchestras including Finnish Radio Symphony.

HarrisonParrott represents Kristian Sallinen for worldwide general management.

Gallery

“A super-talented new conducting star has arrived on the Finnish symphonic music scene.”

Helsingin Sanomat, September 2024

“Sibelius’s Second Symphony […] sounded fresh, colourful and broadly powerful and made an obvious impression on the audience. […] For conductors, the challenge is especially the winding progression of the symphony’s first movement. Attention was drawn to the brave way in which Sallinen handled dynamics and tempo. He allowed the movement to sink into a long, stagnant silence at times until he began to build up to dense ascents. The three motives of the development grew more and more powerful and passionate.”

Helsingin Sanomat, September 2024