Wed, Aug 17, 2022
Klaus Mäkelä performs his first concert as our artistic partner on 19 August. As part of the VriendenLoterij Summer Concert series, he will conduct Kaija Saariaho’s Orion and Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.
'Hearing the Concertgebouw Orchestra sound once leaves one admiring it forever and I am honoured to be responsible to preserve and contribute to its future development.'
As previously announced by the Concertgebouw Orchestra on 10 June, Klaus Mäkelä is joining us as Artistic Partner, and is to become Chief Conductor in 2027. ‘As a conductor, most of my focus is on sound, and when you’ve heard the sound of this orchestra one time, it leaves an unforgettable impression,’ Klaus Mäkelä told the media at the press conference in the Recital Hall. ‘I look forward to cherishing this tradition and adding new details.’
First rehearsal of the 2022-23 season
Klaus Mäkelä in conversation with Dominic Seldis
The eighth Chief Conductor
Starting in season 2023/2024 the number of weeks playing together will slowly build up to at least twelve when he takes on the role of the eighth Chief Conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2027. Until then Klaus Mäkelä remains faithful to the Orchestre de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic.
Tradition of long-term collaborations
Klaus Mäkelä made his first appearance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in September 2020 and it was clear from the start that it was a perfect match. His outstanding debut prompted the orchestra to invite him back twice within the same season, and twice in the current season including on tour to Hamburg and Reykjavík, each occasion re-confirming the musicians’ united wish to engage Klaus Mäkelä as their next Chief Conductor.
'Rarely have we experienced such an overwhelming support from our musicians for a new chief conductor.'
The Concertgebouw Orchestra has an established tradition of long-term collaborations with conductors, including Willem Mengelberg, Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Chailly, , from early on in their careers. By appointing Klaus Mäkelä Artistic Partner for five seasons before he takes up the position of Chief Conductor, the orchestra looks forward to embarking on a new journey that promises many years of artistic excellence and new discoveries.
Under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä
Watch an excerpt from the finale of Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony 'From the New World' – a performance by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä.Het Concertgebouworkest heeft een sterke traditie van langdurige samenwerkingen met dirigenten, onder wievanaf een vroeg stadium in hun carrière. Met de benoeming van Klaus Mäkelä als artistiek partner voor vijf seizoenen voordat hij zijn functie van chef-dirigent oppakt, begint het orkest aan een nieuwe reis die vele jaren van artistieke hoogtepunten en nieuwe ontdekkingen zal opleveren.