Photo: Louisa Dedalus / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Esa-Pekka Salonen

エサ＝ペッカ・サロネン　/　えさ＝ぺっか・さろねん

Conductor from Finland

June 30, 1958 (age 67)　・　Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland

Uusimaa
conductor
composer

My Take

Esa-Pekka Salonen is one of the most forward-thinking figures in classical music, and that combination of conductor and composer is exactly why I rate him so highly. His long tenure transformed the Los Angeles Philharmonic into the most adventurous major orchestra in America, championing new work without scaring off audiences. As a composer he won the Grawemeyer, no small thing. What I respect most is his refusal to treat the canon as a museum, always pushing technology and programming forward. The Finn makes the orchestra feel like a living, future-facing institution rather than a heritage act. Few conductors balance tradition and innovation so persuasively.

Overview

Esa-Pekka Salonen (pronounced [ˈesɑˌpekːɑ ˈsɑlonen] ; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the principal conductor designate of Orchestre de Paris and creative director designate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is also conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Esa-Pekka Salonen
Name (Japanese): エサ＝ペッカ・サロネン
Reading: えさ＝ぺっか・さろねん
Born: June 30, 1958 (age 67)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Cancer / Dog
Origin: Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: conductor / composer

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Private

Awards & achievements

1996 Litteris et Artibus
1992 Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland
2012 Grawemeyer Awards
2012 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
2019 Finnish Music Hall of Fame
2019 Commander First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland
2011 honorary doctor of the Royal College of Music
1998 Officer of Arts and Letters

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Official sitehttps://www.esapekkasalonen.com/
Xhttps://x.com/esapekkasalonen
Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B5%EF%BC%9D%E3%83%9A%E3%83%83%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B5%E3%83%AD%E3%83%8D%E3%83%B3

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