HELSINKI 〓 Hannu Lintu resigns as chief conductor of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, leaving the remainder of his term due to a conflict with the artistic director

2026/02/17

The Finnish National Opera and Ballet, based in the capital Helsinki, has announced the resignation of its principal conductor, Hannu Lintu. Lintu has been in office since January 2022, but there has been a reported conflict with artistic director Thomas de Maret Burgess, and Lintu will resign with the remainder of his term.

Lintu, 58, was born in Rauma, a city facing the Gulf of Bothnia in southern Finland. After studying cello and piano at the Turku Conservatory and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, he studied conducting under Aalto Almira, Jorma Panula, Eri Klas, and Ilya Musin. While still a student, he won the Nordic Conducting Competition in Bergen in 1994.

Prior to his role with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, he served as Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2013–2022). Since 2023, he has concurrently held the position of Chief Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal. He has been appointed Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, effective from the 2026/2027 season.

PHOTO：Berliner Philharmoniker　/　Monika Rittershaus