Jyväskylä Sinfonia
Jyväskylä Sinfonia is a classical music gem in Central Finland, whose heart beats in Jyväskylä and plays throughout the region. The orchestra’s nearly 150 events reach more than 30 000 listeners every year, from symphony concerts to genre-bending special productions and music events for all ages. Since autumn 2024, the orchestra’s chief conductor will be Italian maestro Lorenzo Passerini.
In 2024, Jyväskylä Sinfonia started a new phase in its history when the orchestra moved to new premises in Paviljonki and its renovated Encore Hall. At the same time, the planning of the music hall continues as part of Jyväskylä’s cultural plan. Jyväskylä Sinfonia actively performs throughout its home county and at summer festivals around Finland. Jyväskylä Sinfonia also works closely with Jyväskylä Opera, most recently with a production of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore.
Jyväskylä Sinfonia has made numerous recordings with various record companies. The most recent album was released in February 2023, with Ville Matvejeff conducting music by Pehr Henrik Nordgren. Recordings include also Pekka Kostiainen’s Easter oratorio Triduum Paschale and Requiem, albums with baritone Waltteri Torikka, Aulis Sallinen’s 80th anniversary album with Meta4 and an album of music by Éric Tanguy.
Photo Jiri Halttunen
Aku Sorensen, artistic director
A young Finnish-American conductor Aku Sorensen is the artistic director of Sounds of Luosto festival. Aku Sorensen comes originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but he now lives in Finland. He has received his master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Sakari Oramo’s conducting class at the Sibelius Academy.
Sorensen has worked as a guest conductor with a great number of Finnish orchestras, such as Sinfonia Lahti, Lapland Chamber Orchestra, the Jyväskylä Sinfonia, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, and Tapiola Sinfonietta.
At the 2024 festival, Sorensen will conduct the Jyväskylä Sinfonia in the main concert of the festival on Ukko-Luosto.
By clicking the names in the list below you will get information on the musicians performing in Sounds of Luosto! Festival 2024.
- Aida Hadzajlic, viola
- Tuulia Hero, violin
- Hilda Kunnola, harp
- Vuokko Lahtinen, viola
- Anu Magga, Sami artist
- Helmi Malmgren, clarinet
- Martin Malmgren, piano
- Laura Martin, cello
- Joonas Pekonen, violin
- Theresa Pilsl, soprano
- Livia Schweizer, flute
- Keval Shah, piano
- Aku Sorensen, artistic director
- Saara Särkimäki, cello
- Philip Zuckerman, violin