Around the Music Festival

Osmo Vänskä has decided to retire the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra last in the 2021/2022 season. In 2003 he took over as music director. In 2013, it is happening that resignation from the breakdown of negotiations on employment contracts of members of the orchestra, and returning to about a year later. The Minnesota Orchestra was founded in 1903 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Orchestra was led by Vänskä this spring in the first South Africa tour as a US professional orchestra and toured five cities including Soweto.

Vänskä was 65 years old born in Sääminki in southern Finland. After working as a clarinet player of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, he studied conducting under the Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Conservatory. In 1982, he shared the victory with Japanese Yoko Matsuo at “Besancon International Conductor Competition” , and commenced activities as a conductor in earnest. In 1985 he took over as Principal guest conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra of his home country. He served as a music director from 1988 to 2008, raising the orchestra to an international stage. He has served as Principal Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (1993-1996) and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (1996-2002).

Photo：Minnesota Orchestra