Tarmo Peltokoski, who was hired to succeed Jaap van Zweden as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Photo: AP
Finland's Tarmo Peltokoski will become the youngest conductor ever to lead the Hong Kong Philharmonic starting in September of 2026, the orchestra announced on Thursday.
Peltokoski, 24, studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and has been hailed as part of a generation of up-and-coming Finnish conductors, alongside the likes of Klaus Makela.
"The (Hong Kong Philharmonic) is surely one of the absolute top orchestras in Asia," Peltokowski said in a statement.
The Finn will hold the title of music director for a four-year term beginning in the 2026/27 season.
He will take over from Dutch maestro Jaap van Zweden, who wrapped up his 12-year tenure at the Hong Kong Philharmonic last month.
The Philharmonic in 2019 won "orchestra of the year" at the Gramophone Awards with its recording of Wagner's Ring cycle.
"Jaap inherited a strong regional orchestra in 2012. He leaves it in 2024 as a leading international orchestra," David Cogman, the board chair of the orchestra, said earlier.
Still relatively young, the Hong Kong Philharmonic this year celebrated its 50th anniversary as a professional organisation.
At 14, Peltokoski began his studies under Finnish doyen Jorma Panula, who also mentored Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Peltokoski is music director at the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, and will become the music director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse next year. - AFP
