Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, comprising 97 musicians, is one of Scandinavia's foremost symphony orchestras. Its Artistic Director as of 2013 has been chief conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Tampere Hall, the largest concert hall in Finland. The orchestra plays symphony and chamber concerts, performs as resident opera and ballet orchestra and performs regularly at the Tampere Biennale contemporary music festival. Educational projects and other events for young listeners are a key focus of the orchestra. The Tampere Philharmonic has toured Europe, the United States and Japan.

Recently the orchestra has recorded for the Ondine label with conductors Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Hannu Lintu, Eri Klas, Leif Segerstam, John Storgårds, Tuomas Ollila and Leonid Grin. The latest recordings with Santtu-Matias Rouvali include Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from the West Side Story. The orchestra has released over 50 recordings including music by George Enescu, Jouni Kaipainen, Uljas Pulkkis, Einojuhani Rautavaara, John Corigliano, and Jean Sibelius. Many of the albums have received excellent reviews and several awards, among which the Cannes Classical Disc of the Year 2004 Award and a total of five Cannes Classical Awards. The premiere recording of the opera Kaivos (The Mine) by Einojuhani Rautavaara was nominated for a Grammy in 2012.

The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1930 and was municipalized by the City of Tampere in 1947.