Maestro Jorma Panula, legend of the Finnish conducting school, to visit Riga

Press release

Riga, 26 September 2024

Hailed as the Father of the Finnish conducting school, the brilliant maestro and teacher of many world‑renowned conductors Jorma Panula will give a concert in Riga on 5 October at the Riga Latvian Society House. Panula will conduct the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) for a performance of the Oboe Concerto by Richard Strauss, marking the anniversary of his birth and featuring soloist Egils Upatnieks, as well as Jean Sibelius' Second Symphony. Tarmo Peltokoski, Music and Artistic Director of the LNSO, is also one of Maestro Jorma Panula's students, making this a truly special musical encounter.

Foto: Jyrki Valkama / Yle

Maestro Jorma Panula (1930) is one of the most renowned educators of leading conductors, including Finnish Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka‑Pekka Saraste, and Klaus Mäkelä. Tarmo Peltokoski, Music and Artistic Director of the LNSO, has also studied under this legendary master. In addition, Panula has held prestigious positions as the artistic director and chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. He remains a sought-after guest conductor, with teaching at the core of his current work. Panula’s masterclasses are revered worldwide, with the Jorma Panula International Conducting Competition, which he founded in 1999, standing as a pinnacle of excellence in the field.

Reflecting on Maestro Panula’s influence, Tarmo Peltokoski says: “Jorma Panula is an incomparable conducting mentor, an actual living legend. I met him for the first time in 2014, and during the next few years he equipped me with the essential skills required as a conductor, as well as teaching me a lot about life. Jorma Panula turned 94 in August, yet shows no signs of slowing down. Panula’s name is known everywhere in the music world. He is a widely respected and even feared figure. Of all Finnish musicians, his historical impact can only be compared to that of Sibelius himself.”

The upcoming meeting between Jorma Panula and the LNSO will be held in collaboration with Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (JVLMA). Following a special selection process also administered by Tarmo Peltokoski, JVLMA students will have the unique opportunity to conduct the orchestra in rehearsals under Maestro Panula’s expert guidance

 “It is a great honour for me to invite my teacher to conduct my orchestra, the LNSO. The opportunity to work with the maestro of maestros is an exclusive privilege for my musicians, and it will be talked about for a long time. The concert and masterclass led by Panula will also be an international event, so broad is the interest towards him,” says Tarmo Peltokoski proudly. “For this concert, I even adjusted my artistic plans to ensure I could be present for the special occasion.”

The concert programme includes Jean Sibelius' Symphony no. 2 and Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto, with Egils Upatnieks, the LNSO’s principal oboist, as the soloist. Upatnieks is also a member of the renowned Danish woodwind quintet Carion, regularly performing in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and beyond. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Concertante, Vidzeme Chamber Orchestra, Accademia Baltica Chamber Orchestra, and the Odense Symphony Orchestra.

The concert at the Riga Latvian Society House will take place on 5 October at 7 PM. Tickets are available at Biļešu paradīze outlets and online at https://www.bilesuparadize.lv/en/event/140025.