Osmo Vänskä becomes Conductor Laureate of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra
05/06/2006
 Osmo Vänskä will be nominated as Conductor Laureate of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra after his period as Chief Conductor after the spring 2008. Vänskä was Principal Guest Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in 1985-1988. In 1988-2003 he worked as Music Director and in 2004-2008 as Chief Conductor of the orchestra.
During Osmo Vänskä’s conductor period the Lahti Symphony Orchestra has risen from a regional orchestra to world fame. The orchestra has made with him almost 60 recording, many of which have received major international awards. The series of awards begin from the Gramophone Award 1991 and the latest one is the MIDEM Classical Award 2006. The Lahti Symphony Orchestra has visited successfully under his conduction in e.g. the USA, Japan and numerous countries Europe. In 2003 Japanese music critics chose the concert, in which the orchestra together with the YL Choir performed Sibelius’s Kullervo, as the best classical music concert in Japan that year.
Along with his work with the orchestra, Vänskä has strongly advanced the cultural activity of the city of Lahti. During his period e.g. the acoustically praised Sibelius Hall was built, to which the orchestra’s international success had a great influence.
During the period as Chief Conductor until 2008 the orchestra will tour with Vänskä in e.g. Japan in October 2006 and give concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie and the Vienna Musikverein (three concerts) in February-March 2007.
The farewell concert, which will end Osmo Vänskä’s period, will be arranged at the Sibelius Hall in Lahti in May 2008.
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