Santtu-Matias Rouvali

Rouvali was born in Lahti into a family of musicians. Rouvali's parents played in the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. He is the oldest of the three sons in his family. One of his younger brothers died in a car accident at age 23.{{cite news | author=Matthias Mattila | title="Ehkä mulla on ADHD omalla tavallaan" – Santtu-Matias Rouvali rauhoittuu, kun musiikki on hänen näpeissään | url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/henkilokuva_ehka_mulla_on_adhd_omalla_tavallaan__santtu-matias_rouvali_rauhoittuu_kun_musiikki_on_hanen_napeissaan/8517658 | work=YLE (Finnish Radio) | date=12 December 2015 | accessdate=10 July 2016}}

Rouvali learned percussion as a youngster, and continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy. Rouvali competed in the Eurovision Young Soloists Finnish qualifier in 2004 as a percussionist. As a percussionist, he performed with such orchestras as the Mikkeli City Orchestra, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. At age 22, he focused more on studies in conducting at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Jorma Panula, Leif Segerstam and Hannu Lintu.

In September 2009, Rouvali guest-conducted the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra as an emergency substitute conductor. He first guest-conducted the Tapiola Sinfonietta in November 2010. Later in the same month, the Tapiola Sinfonietta named Rouvali an artist-in-association with the orchestra, effective September 2011, with an agreement of 3 years.{{cite press release | url=http://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/2010/11/santtu-matias-rouvali-appointed-artist-association-tapiola-sinfonietta | title=Santtu-Matias Rouvali appointed Artist in Association of the Tapiola Sinfonietta | publisher=Harrison Parrott | date=26 November 2010 | accessdate=10 July 2016}}

Rouvali first guest-conducted the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in January 2010. He subsequently returned as a guest conductor in December 2011. In September 2012, the orchestra announced the appointment of Rouvali as its chief conductor, effective with the 2013–2014 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.{{cite press release | url= http://www.tampere.fi/tampereen-kaupunki/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/2012/09/31082015_15.html | title= Santtu-Matias Rouvali Tampere Filharmonian ylikapellimestariksi 2013 | publisher=City of Tampere | date=10 September 2012 | accessdate=10 July 2016}} His Tampere contract was later extended to 2020.{{cite press release | url= http://www.tamperefilharmonia.fi/fi/uutiset/santtu-matias-rouvalille-toinenkin-ylikapellimestaripesti/ | title= Santtu-Matias Rouvalille toinenkin ylikapellimestaripesti | publisher=Tampere Philharmonic | date=25 May 2016 | accessdate=10 July 2016}} Rouvali concluded his chief conductorship in Tampere at the close of the 2022–2023 season.{{cite news | author=Anu Leena Hankaniemi | title=Suosittu kapellimestari Santtu-Matias Rouvali jättää Tampere Filharmonian, maailmalla huippuorkestereissa kiitävän miehen viikot eivät enää riitä | url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12390598 | work=YLE (Finnish Radio) | date=5 April 2022 | accessdate=6 April 2022}}

Outside Finland, Rouvali first guest-conducted the Copenhagen Philharmonic in November 2011. He subsequently became principal guest conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic with the 2013–2014 season. In August 2014, Rouvali made his first guest-conducting appearance with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO). In May 2016, the GSO announced the appointment of Rouvali as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2017–2018 season, with an initial contract of 4 years.{{cite press release | url=http://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/gothenburg-symphony-appoints-santtu-matias-rouvali-chief-conductor | title=Gothenburg Symphony appoints Santtu-Matias Rouvali as Chief Conductor | publisher=Harrison Parrott | date=25 May 2016 | accessdate=10 July 2016}}{{cite news | title=31-årig dirigent ska leda symfonikerna i Goteborg | url=http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=478&artikel=6439998 | work=Sverige-Radio | date=25 May 2016 | accessdate=10 July 2016}} In May 2019, the GSO announced the extension of Rouvali's contract through 2025.{{cite press release | url=https://www.gso.se/gsoplay/klipp/rouvali-forlanger-sitt-kontrakt/ | title=Rouvali förlänger sitt kontrakt | publisher=Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | date=21 May 2019 | accessdate=23 May 2019}} In December 2023, the GSO announced that Rouvali is to stand down as its chief conductor at the close of the 2024–2025 season.{{cite press release | url=https://www.gso.se/upptack/press/#/pressreleases/barbara-hannigan-foerlaenger-samarbetet-med-goeteborgs-symfoniker-till-2028-3294067 | title=Barbara Hannigan förlänger samarbetet med Göteborgs Symfoniker till 2028 | publisher=Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | date=22 December 2023 | accessdate=23 December 2023}}

Rouvali first guest-conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in January 2013. In March 2017, the Philharmonia announced the appointment of Rouvali as one of its two new principal guest conductors, effective with the 2017–2018 season.{{cite press release | url=http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/news/article/31/the_philharmonia_announces_two_principal_guest_conductors_jakub_hrusa_and_santtu-matias_rouvali | title=The Philharmonia announces two Principal Guest Conductors: Jakub Hrůša and Santtu-Matias Rouvali | publisher=Philharmonia Orchestra | date=30 March 2017 | accessdate=31 March 2017}} In May 2019, the Philharmonia announced the appointment of Rouvali as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.{{cite press release | url=https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/news/article/62/the_philharmonia_orchestra_announces_santtu-matias_rouvali_as_its_next_principal_conductor | title=The Philharmonia Announces Santtu-Matias Rouvali As Its Next Principal Conductor| publisher=Philharmonia Orchestra | date=22 May 2019 | accessdate=23 May 2019}} In September 2020, the Philharmonia released its first recording with Rouvali as conductor, a recording of Swan Lake made in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://philharmonia.co.uk/products/tchaikovsky-swan-lake/|title=Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake|website=Philharmonia|access-date=28 December 2020}}

Rouvali has made commercial recordings with the Oulu Philharmonic Orchestra for Ondine, and with the Tampere Philharmonic for Orfeo.{{cite news | author=Kate Molleson | title=Nielsen/Sibelius: Violin Concertos, etc CD review – clean, supple and boisterous | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/24/nielsen-sibelius-violin-concertos-etc-cd-review-baiba-skride | work=The Guardian | date=24 September 2015 | accessdate=10 July 2016}} He has conducted music of Sibelius with the Gothenburg Symphony for Alpha Classics.{{cite news | author=Bayan Northcott | title=Sibelius: Symphony No. 1; En Saga – Gothenburg Symphony/Santtu-Matias Rouvali (Alpha) | url=https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/sibelius-symphony-no-1-en-saga/ | work=Classical Music (BBC Music Magazine) | date=1 March 2020 | accessdate=8 October 2021}}{{cite news | author=Malcolm Hayes | title=Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; King Christian II – Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Santtu-Matias Rouvali (Alpha Classics) | url=https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/sibelius-symphony-no-2-king-christian-ii/ | work=Classical Music (BBC Music Magazine) | date=14 May 2020 | accessdate=8 October 2021}}

Rouvali and his family live in Lepsämä in the municipality of Nurmijärvi.{{cite news|author=Kari Virtanen|title=Santtu-Matias Rouvali ihastui Lepsämään|url=https://www.nurmijarvenuutiset.fi/artikkeli/92961-santtu-matias-rouvali-ihastui-lepsamaan|work=Nurmijärven Uutiset|date=12 October 2012|accessdate=12 October 2019|language=fi}}{{cite news|author=Markku Juusola|title=Bra att vara lämpligt galen|url=https://ll-bladet.fi/tema/bra-att-vara-lampligt-galen/|work=LL-Bladet|date=5 April 2015|accessdate=12 October 2019|language=sv}}{{cite news | title=A Conductor Who Knows His Way Around a Score, and a Farm | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/arts/music/santtu-matias-rouvali.html | work=The New York Times | author=Joshua Barone | date=29 July 2022 | access-date=16 August 2022}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.tamperefilharmonia.fi/fi/ylikapellimestari/ Tampere Philharmonic Finnish-language page on Santtu-Matias Rouvali]
• [http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artist/profile/santtu-matias-rouvali Harrison Parrott agency page on Santtu-Matias Rouvali]
• [https://www.gso.se/en/gothenburg-symphony-orchestra/santtu-matias-rouvali/ Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra page on Santtu-Matias Rouvali]

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{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra | before=Hannu Lintu | years=2013–2023 | after=Matthew Halls}}

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Category:1985 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sibelius Academy alumni

Category:21st-century Finnish conductors (music)

Category:Principal conductors of the Philharmonia Orchestra

Category:People from Lahti