Susanna Mälkki
Conductor
Susanna Mälkki is sought-after at the highest level with symphony orchestras and opera houses worldwide.
She appears regularly with top orchestras throughout Europe and North America: Helsinki Philharmonic, where she is Chief Conductor Emeritus and was Chief Conductor from 2016 until 2023; Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she was Principal Guest Conductor from 2017 until 2022; The Philadelphia Orchestra; The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the Berliner Philharmoniker. By invitation of Pierre Boulez, Mälkki was also the Music Director of the Ensemble intercontemporain from 2006 to 2013.
Mälkki’s past notable appearances with major opera houses include the Opéra national de Paris, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Wiener Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, and the Royal Opera House, London. Operatic titles this season and beyond show Mälkki’s versatility in the art form: Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Faure’s Pénélope, Verdi’s Falstaff, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, and Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence.
Recognized for her significant contribution to the art form, Mälkki was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland—one of the country’s highest honors—in 2011. She has been named an Officier (2014) and Commandeur (2022) de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France and in 2016 was made a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in France. Mälkki is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London and a member of the Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien in Stockholm. She was Musical America’s 2017 Conductor of the Year, and in November of that year she was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize. In 2024 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Uniarts Helsinki.
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Watch & Listen
Susanna Mälkki on Sound and Silence
The esteemed conductor discusses subjects of life, death, and impermanence, which are at the center of a program honoring her friend and collaborator Kaija Saariaho
Podcast: Mälkki Leads Dvořák with Patrick Posey • LA Phil 2022/23
Saxophonist and educator at the USC Thornton School of Music Patrick Posey explains music by Dvořák and Lara.
Upbeat Live: Tchaikovsky and Saariaho with Mälkki with Veronika Krausas
Composer Veronika Krausas explores Tchaikovsky’s beloved concerto and new music by Saariaho.
Welcome to the Sound Gallery
Principal Guest Conductor of the LA Phil, Susanna Mälkki shares her thoughts on listening, power, and getting to the essence.
Mälkki, Salonen, and MTT: 100 Years of Shakespeare at the Phil
The innovative staging of Shakespearean works, the music of the Finnish master, and the unique role of the Principal Guest Conductor are all important parts of the LA Phil’s history.
Susanna Mälkki on Spotify
Listen to Susanna Mälkki on Spotify.
