Jari Hämäläinen
Conductor
Maestro Jari Hämäläinen is one of the newest conducting stars to come out of Finland. Recently named the Artistic Director of the Savonlinna Festival as of 2008, he has conducted such prestigious orchestras as the Munich Philharmonic and the Stuttgart Philharmonic, and leading opera companies such as Frankfurt and the Finnish National Opera.
Educated in Finland, Mr. Hämäläinen studied at the Sibelius Academy as a concert pianist. He quickly was engaged by the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki in 1985 as an assistant to the General Music Director, while at the same time as a coach and conductor by the Savonlinna Festival. He remained there until 1990 in both capacities.
His initial engagement in Germany was in Hildesheim in 1990, and by 1992 he became the chorus master and Kapellmeister in Braunschweig under the tutelage of Stefan Soltesz and Brigitte Fassbaender. In 1997, Mr. Hämäläinen became the General Music Director and Musical Director of the Stadttheater Pforzheim and city orchestra. In 2003, he was name Opera Director and Intendant, the first Finn to hold such a position in Germany.
Maestro Hämäläinen's operatic repertoire is vast, having conducted over 45 operas, from Beethoven's Fidelio and Hindemith's Cardillac to Verdi's Don Carlo and Puccini's Tosca. In 1999 he debuted with the Frankfurt Opera conducting Don Giovanni, and he made frequent guest appearances at the Finnish National Opera in 2002 and 2004, conducting Carmen with Agnes Baltsa in the title role along with Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio. In 2004 he appeared at Theater Regensburg, conducting Boito's Mefistofele.
Maestro Hämäläinen's orchestral repertoire is even more expansive, having led the prestigious Munich Philharmonic, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Wurttemberg Philharmonie Reutlingen, Sudwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Regensburg. In addition to acting as opera director and conductor, Hämäläinen has maintained an active career as a Lied accompanist, appearing in recitals in Japan and Germany.