Santtu-Matias Rouvali

Born in Lahti to two members of the city’s symphony orchestra on November 5th, 1985, Santtu-Matias Rouvali is a Finnish conductor and percussionist known for his distinctive, enthusiastic style. He is currently Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and Honorary Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic.

As a youngster Rouvali learned percussion, performing with a number of Finnish orchestras, before instead concentrating his studies on conducting. He trained at the Sibelius Academy where his teachers included Jorma Panula and Leif Segerstam, and got his first opportunity as a conductor in 2009 when he stood-in as a last-minute substitute with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Seemingly unflustered by the demands of a tricky programme, Rouvali received high acclaim for a performance which propelled him from relative unknown to sought after guest conductor.

Opportunities with the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Copenhagen Philharmonic and Tampere Philharmonic ensued, and in 2012, Rouvali was announced as Hannu Lintu’s successor as Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic, commencing at the start of the 2013 - 2014. He concluded his tenure with Tampere in 2020, however remains connected to the Finnish orchestra through his role as Honorary Conductor.

Outside of his homeland, Rouvali has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic, and in May, 2016 he was announced as the next Chief Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. An initial contract of four years - commencing with the 2017 - 2018 season - was subsequently extended, and his eight year tenure with Gothenburg is set to conclude at the end of the current (2024 - 2025) season.

Having first guest conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in January, 2013, Rouvali served as Principal Guest Conductor from 2017, and was appointed Chief Conductor in 2019, effective from the start of the 2021 - 2022 season. He is only the sixth person to hold this title since the Orchestra was founded in 1945.

In addition to his permanent roles, Rouvali performs regularly with many of the world’s leading orchestras and boasts several award-winning recordings including a Sibelius cycle recorded with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.