Artistic partner

Hannu Lintu (born 1967) is maybe Finland´s most prominent conductor. For over 20 years, he has been a mainstay of orchestral music here in his homeland, first at the helm of the Turku and Tampere municipal orchestras and from 2013 to 2021 as Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. His term beginning in 2022 as Chief Conductor of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet continues until 2026.

Much in demand outside Finland, too, Lintu has been Chief Conductor of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of Ireland´s RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. In 2023 took up his appointment as Chief Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon. He has made quest appearances with many of the world´s most celebrated orchestras, such as the Boston and Chicago Symphonies, the Berlin Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony and the Orchestre de Paris. He begins as Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in autumn 2026.

Despite his global commitments, Lintu cherishes his long, warm relationship with Sinfonia Lahti. He first conducted in Lahti while still a student in the 1990s, and has returned to the Sibelius Hall almost every season since spring 2000. “It feels as if we have been frinds for ages,” he says. “I always enjoy my visits to Lahti, and I always set aside time for it. The atmosphere in the orchestra is good, and so is the work ethic.”

As of the autumn 2025 season, this friendship will run even deeper when Lintu begins as the orchestra´s Artistic Partner and the Artistic Director of its Sibelius Festival. Under him, Sinfonia Lahti will record all eight symphonies by Einojuhani Rautavaara on the BIS label.

“Rautavaara was a great Finnish symphonist, and each of his symphonies is different and outstanding. They do not follow a clear line of development, rather, they career from on extreme to another. But that applies to Rautavaara the composer, too.”

For the programme of the Sibelius Festival Lintu has brought in composers other than signature maestro. “The fokus will always be on Sibelius, and especially his seven symphonies. They´re what the Sinfonia Lahti is known for, and of course we´re not going to abandon them. A scratch beneath the surface will reveal why I´ve grouped the works by these composers in the same concert.”