Tampere Philharmonic names 25-year-old Kristian Sallinen as new chief conductor
Tuesday 16th June 2026 on 09:30 in
Finland
Tampere Philharmonic has appointed 25-year-old Kristian Sallinen as its next chief conductor and artistic director, the orchestra announced Tuesday morning at Tampere Hall.
Sallinen will begin his three-year term in August 2027, succeeding British conductor Matthew Halls, whose four-year tenure is ending. His contract includes at least 7–8 concerts annually, along with other projects.
He will become the 13th chief conductor in the nearly century-old orchestra’s history.
“I am inspired and motivated to build a new chapter,” Sallinen said, adding that programming is already underway. “The audience can certainly expect music they will enjoy, but I also want to bring the edge of a young musician to it.”
Sallinen has guest-conducted several international symphony orchestras, including the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic’s season finale this spring. He also made his opera debut at the Finnish National Opera with Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta.
Finnish TV audiences first encountered Sallinen two years ago in the classical music episode of the popular program Elämäni biisi, where he appeared as a conductor with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Tampere Philharmonic, a 96-member symphony orchestra based in Tampere Hall, also performs chamber music, entertainment, children’s concerts, opera, and ballet.