Santtu-Matias Rouvali has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony, a role he will assume at the start of the 2017/18 season. He follows in the footsteps of Neeme Järvi (1982-2004), Mario Venzago (2004-7), Gustavo Dudamel (2007-12) and Kent Nagano (Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor since 2013) at the helm of the orchestra.

Rouvali is currently Artistic Director of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic.  Of the new appointment, he said: 'I have enjoyed some fantastic concerts with the orchestra and look forward to making music with these wonderful musicians again this autumn. Finland and Sweden both have a rich musical culture, which is why I can’t wait to bring the best of both together in Gothenburg and on our international tours.' 

Sten Cranner, General Manager and Artistic Director of the Gothenburg Symphony, enthused: 'He has clearly shown that he represents something fresh and unique as a conductor. Santtu-Matias brings the best of two worlds: he is deeply rooted in the Gothenburg Symphony’s Nordic music tradition and, with his dynamic youthfulness, Rouvali represents something we firmly believe to be the future in the world of classical music. We are confident that he will shape and develop the orchestra with his artistic brilliance and insight.'

Rouvali will lead the orchestra in two concerts in the coming season, including a performance of Brahms's First Piano Concerto with Marc-André Hamelin in September, but his inaugural season as Principal Conductor will include a tour of the Scandinavian capitals with pianist Hélène Grimaud. followed by a European tour in the 2018-19 season.

Rouvali new Chief Conductor at Gothenburg Symphony from Göteborgs Symfoniker on Vimeo.

Rouvali's two most notable recordings to date are of the Sibelius and Nielsen Violin Concertos with violinist Baiba Skride and the Tampere PO for Orfeo (read the review), and guitar concertos by Hakola and Hosokawa with guitarist Timo Korhonen and the Oulo SO for Ondine (read the review). 

All Gothenburg Symphony concerts with Rouvali are recorded live for the orchestra's free concert streaming service GSOplay. You can enjoy a recent performance of Stravinsky's Petrushka below: