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I hope that in browsing these pages you will find some interesting information about the ongoing musical matters that mean a lot to me.
I also hope that you may find something inspiring, exciting, new or just fun to explore and experience in your own music-making.
Best regards,
John Storgårds
NEWS:
John Storgårds has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Commencing the position from the beginning of the 2024/25 season, he will be closely involved in the inauguration of Turku’s new concert hall Fuuga. Storgårds will hold the title alongside his existing positions of Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa.
John Storgårds says: It is a great joy and honor to take on the role, responsibility, and task of Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra at this moment. The orchestra, oldest in Finland and in the oldest and most historic city, is perhaps experiencing its most youthful, renewing, and exciting era as it awaits the new Music Hall Fuuga. I perceive the orchestra as a community hungry, ambitious, and ready in every way for new, even significant challenges and goals.
Inspired by this, I will use all my experience and expertise in the best possible way to contribute to the orchestra’s development. I can hardly wait for the first concert season with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra at Fuuga as their Chief Conductor. But before that, let’s make some wonderful final seasons at the Turku Concert Hall.
The BBC Philharmonic, under John Storgårds, have been nominated for Gramophone magazine’s 2023 Orchestra of the Year Award. Their most recent recording of Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 12 “The Year 1917” and 15, released in March 2023 on Chandos, was critically acclaimed: “… John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic do Shostakovich’s enigmatic, macabre, and profoundly deep, final Symphony proud […] with shattering/exorcising climaxes in the second and final movements, and a nightmarish-fantastical world created in the first”.
The winner is decided by public vote, and the voting period is open from now until September. Please vote now for John Storgårds and his wonderful orchestra!
John Storgårds has extended his contract as Principal Guest Conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa for another five years. Having first conducted the NAC Orchestra in February 2013, and was subsequently named Principal Guest Conductor in 2015/2016, he will now hold the position until the end of the 2027/2028 season.
Hans Abrahamsen’s Schnee, recorded by the Lapland Chamber Orchestra under John Storgårds, received the Emma Award as Classical Music Album of the Year. The Emma awards for the most successful artists and music industry professionals of 2022 were awarded at the Emma gala in Helsinki on February 3, 2023
John Storgårds has been appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic. The appointment builds on an existing fruitful relationship with the orchestra which began in 2010 and saw him become the Chief Guest Conductor in 2017. John’s achievements with the orchestra over the years thus far include annual performances at the BBC Proms, an acclaimed Sibelius symphony cycle in 2013 and numerous recordings for Chandos Records which have been met with great critical acclaim. Upcoming performances with the orchestra include Shostakovich Symphonies No. 13 and 15 at The Bridgwater Hall as part of the 2022/23 season.
John Storgårds said: “Having first worked with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in 2010, then taking up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in 2012, and in 2017 becoming Chief Guest Conductor, it is with pure enthusiasm that I’m now going to be the orchestra’s new Chief Conductor. Over my many years of collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic, our partnership has been built on great musicmaking and trust. Together, we have already completed a number of fantastic projects; tours in the North of England and at the orchestra’s home in Salford and at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, appearances at the BBC Proms, and our many international tours and festival visits. We have also made many dynamic recordings in our Salford studio, most prominently for BBC Radio 3 and our label partners at Chandos Records. The BBC Philharmonic is widely known as an extraordinarily brilliant, skilful and versatile orchestra. I am very proud to be continuing our musical journey together with the wonderful musicians and great staff of this fine ensemble!”
You can watch John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic performing Rachmaninov’s The Isle of the Dead at the 2019 BBC Proms here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auZWD5XYFck
The Pentti Kaitera fund awarded Storgårds for his significant work as a promoter of spiritual well-being in Northern Finland. The prize was published in the Gala evening of Oulu University on November 11, 2022.
In its justification, the fund states that Storgårds has done long-term and uncompromising work in northern Finland as the artistic director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. In addition to his own significant creative work, he has highlighted other northern artists and created organizations and structures that enable, on the one hand, performing art now and in the future, and on the other hand, bringing art closer to people in a large area. The Kaitera award is given to him for this great work of him.
”The Pentti Kaitera fund’s recognition award is a great recognition from a well-deserved respected entity that clearly carefully considers its choices. It’s an honor to be among the other, previous years’ prize winners, as well as this year’s awarded colleague [dancer, artistic director Pirjo yli-Maunula],” says John himself.
Concert of December 17, 2021, at Liederhalle, Stuttgart, in Youtube
Brahms piano concertos & Webern 4 Pieces for Violin and Piano and 5 Pieces for Orchestra with Kirill Gerstein and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra March 30, 2022, at Helsinki Music Centre. Watch and listen here
World premiere of Perttu Haapanen's At the Karman Line, Boulanger Fantaisia Variee and Schumann 2 at the Helsinki Music Centre April 20, 2022. Watch and listen here
Watch the concert of Jan 29, 2021, at Helsinki Music Centre here
Watch the concert of Dec 11, 2020, at Helsinki Music Centre here
John Storgårds and his Lapland Chamber Orchestra streamed a concert on Facebook, you can watch it here. The programme is: Arnold Schönberg: Three Canons Malcolm Arnold: Divertimento op. 37 Olli Mustosen: Sextet (Finnish premiere) Max Reger: Lyrisches Andante The last piece can also watched here.
Detroit Symphony Orchestra made nine filmed performances of John Storgårds available on DSO Replay, including Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, Beethoven Symphony No. 6 and Piano Concerto No. 3, Sibelius Symphony No. 7, Outi Tarkiainen’s “Midnight Sun Variations” as well as works by Rautavaara, Nielsen, Bjarnason and Antheil.
John Storgårds conducts Haydn, Bartók and the world premiere of the Trombone concerto Suuna by Jukka Tiensuu at the Helsinki Music Center on 11 January 2019. Watch here
Experience the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s Eroica symphony under the baton of John Storgårds:
Concert at the Helsinki Music Center on September 20.2012, watch in Youtube
24. October 2024, Turku Concert Hall
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
Storgårdsin johtamisesta välittyy musikaalinen ja näkemyksellinen tahto, ja hänellä on maaginen taito tartuttaa se kaikkiin muusikoihin.
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra
Quintet for Horn and String Quartet
Bach/Avo: Contrapunctus XIV
Ismo Eskelinen, guitar
Ilkka Puputti, horn
Lapland Chamber Orchestra
John Storgårds, conductor
BIS May 2024