The innovative Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto will be Principal Guest Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony. His tenure commences from the 2025/26 season. 

“With Pekka Kuusisto the audience in Gothenburg Concert Hall will get to know a warm, charismatic, and border-crossing musician,” says Anna-Karin Larsson, CEO of the Gothenburg Symphony. 

Pekka Kuusisto is one of the world’s most sought-after violinists and conductors and is known for his artistic creativity. He collaborates with folk musicians and electro pioneers as well as with symphony orchestras at the most prominent international concert halls. As Artistic Director of Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic co-director of the Helsinki Philharmonic and Artistic Best Friend of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kuusisto is a leader with an unbeatable ability to communicate with musicians and audience. 

“Pekka Kuusisto together with Gothenburg Symphony will be able to offer the Gothenburg audience a series of unique and exciting musical experiences for several years to come. We are very happy about that,” says Anna-Karin Larsson. He will share the title with Barbara Hannigan, who has been the Principal Guest Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony since 2019 and will continue until 2028. Santtu-Matias Rouvali is Chief Conductor until the end of June 2025.

“I have such brilliant experiences from both playing, conducting, and listening to Gothenburg Symphony – the musicians bringing their entire radiant personalities to the rehearsals and concerts, the luxurious sound the orchestra makes in their wonderful home, the heightened communication and presence of large-scale chamber music. (I have even once been allowed to participate in the orchestra’s pilates class, so some of them have seen me quite far from my comfort zone. I suppose it’s a kind of trust exercise!) To conduct an ensemble of the Gothenburg Symphony’s calibre is an opportunity to learn. The total amount of musical knowledge and interpretational instinct of the orchestra is staggering, as is the amount of instrumental skill. The Gothenburg Symphony will make me a better musician, and I will begin the exciting search for ways to return the favour,” says Pekka Kuusisto.

With Gothenburg Symphony, Kuusisto made his conducting debut in 2023 when he made a highly captivating appearance with Ava Bahari. He will soon be in Gothenburg again, when on 20 November he is soloist in Bryce Dessner’s Violin Concerto. The following week, he will lead the Symphony in five works by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg.