Sakari Oramo has been named as the Malko Competition’s new jury president. The Finnish conductor replaces previous president Lorin Maazel, who passed away in July.
Oramo is chief conductor of the Stockholm Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
The 17th edition of the international conducting contest will take place next April.
Head of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Kim Bohr, said: ‘Sakari Oramo is one of the great Nordic conductors, and it is a great pleasure that he has said “Yes” to heading the Jury of the Malko Competition in the Jubilee year 2015. Danish National Symphony Orchestra created this competition 50 years ago with the purpose of giving opportunities for the next generation’s outstanding artists. Throughout the years, the competition has been highly respected among musicians for its high quality and integrity. With Oramo, we have an internationally respected Chairman, and a wonderful person. Both the competition and the winners are in good hands with him at the helm.’
The president of the Malko Competition Jacob Soelberg, said: ‘With the choice of Sakarai Oramo as jury president, it is now secured that the Malko Competition 2015 can continue on the same high level, and according to Maazel’s ideas, at the same time that Oramo gets the opportunity to develop and put his own imprint on the competition.’
The Malko Competition is the world’s biggest conductors’ competition. The First Prize is the aggregated prize sum of €170,000 plus engagements with 34 of the leading orchestras in the whole of Europe, among them the Vienna Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. The competition is arranged in cooperation with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, DR and Nordic Artists Management.
Image: Sakari Oramo © Benjamin Ealovega