Chief conductor Dalia Stasevska

Dalia Stasevska (b. 1984), principal conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, has in recent years become one of the most internationally prominent and acclaimed Finnish conductors. As principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, she has conducted the opening and closing concerts of the London Proms Festival several times, and last season alone she appeared with orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Seattle, Cincinnati and Sydney Symphony Orchestras and the hr-Sinfonieorchester in Frankfurt. This season, Stasevska will appear with orchestras including the Orchestre de Paris, San Francisco Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra. She received the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award in 2020, the Alfred Kordelin Prize in 2022 and the BBC Music Magazine’s Personality of the Year Award in 2023.

Stasevska conducted the Lahti Symphony Orchestra only twice before being appointed principal conductor, starting in autumn 2020. After the very first day of rehearsals, she noticed that the orchestra has a good working atmosphere and a mentality that goes a long way. ‘I like the attitude that people in Lahti have towards making music. The musicians give their all, they are enthusiastic, they work seriously and with ambition,’ says Stasevska. ‘I find this very inspiring.’

Stasevska’s plans for the Lahti Symphony Orchestra’s repertoire continue her trademark approach, creating exciting combinations by bringing together classics, rarities and novelties and by exploring genre boundaries. The year there is an abundance of works by living composers, especially women, whose works will deepen our awareness of the diverse soundscape of our time: Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Missy Mazzoli and Lotta Wennäkoski are just some of the contemporary composers whose music will be heard this season.

Stasevska is passionate about classical and light music in equal measure, drawing inspiration from opera and contemporary pop music alike. This year, the orchestra is again crossing genre boundaries, performing with artists such as Diandra and Apulanta.

Stasevska’s repertoire philosophy culminates in the spring of 2025, when the Lahti Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary and the Sibelius Hall its 25th. She will conduct Sibelius’s ‘Kullervo’, ‘an adagio’ by Lahti-born Sauli Zinovjev and Kaija Saariaho’s Trumpet Concerto. She will conclude her tenure as principal conductor with Giuseppe Verdi’s magnificent Requiem.

One of Stasevska’s greatest inspirations is the world of visual arts, especially the most recent works. And when she travels, the first place she goes is always to a contemporary art museum. She is particularly fascinated by architecture and design, where her curiosity is always aroused, whether it’s Italian architecture from the 1960s or Finnish kitchenware design. She sums up her attitude to life and to her work as a conductor with boldness and open-mindedness. ‘I love playfulness. If you’re fearless and let things take their course, unexpected things happen and insights always come. Even children learn great things through play. I can see that the Lahti Symphony Orchestra is similarly open-minded.’