Hannu Petteri Lintu is an internationally acclaimed conductor renowned as a master of both operatic and symphonic repertoire. He is currently Chief Conductor of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet as well as Music Director of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Orchestra, and in autumn 2025 will assume the role of Artistic Partner to the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Born in the Finnish town of Rauma on October 13th, 1967, Lintu studied piano and cello at the Turku Conservatory, and later at the Sibelius Academy where he also studied conducting under Jorma Panula. He took first prize in the Nordic Conducting Competition in 1994, graduated with honours in 1996, and two years later began a three-year contract as Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lintu has since served as Chief Conductor of two other major Finnish orchestras, namely the Tampere Philharmonic from 2009 to 2013 and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2013 to the close of the 2020 - 2021 season. He was also Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of Sweden’s Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra from 2002 to 2005, and during his tenure with Tampere, concurrently held the position of Principal Guest Conductor with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin.
With a reputation as one of the world’s finest conductors, Lintu remains highly sought-after as a guest, appearing in recent seasons with the Berlin, Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics, the Chicago and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras and the Paris Opera amongst many others.