John Storgårds — Conductor & Violinist
John Storgårds is internationally recognized as both a conductor and violin virtuoso, acclaimed for his creative flair in programming and for performances described as both rousing and refined. He currently serves as Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Since 1996, he has also been Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, with whom he has earned worldwide critical acclaim for adventurous performances and award-winning recordings.
Storgårds appears regularly with leading orchestras such as the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and all major Nordic orchestras, including the Helsinki Philharmonic, where he was Chief Conductor from 2008–2015. In North America, he has led the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, among others, and he frequently appears in Asia with orchestras in Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo. As a chamber musician and violinist, he has performed alongside soloists including Yefim Bronfman, Sol Gabetta, Kirill Gerstein, Gil Shaham, Christian Tetzlaff, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Soile Isokoski, and Anne Sofie von Otter.
His extensive repertoire spans the complete symphonies of Sibelius, Nielsen, Bruckner, Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Schumann. He has championed Finnish premieres of Schumann’s opera Genoveva and the early “Zwickau” Symphony, as well as world premieres of works by Jean Sibelius, Per Nørgård, Kaija Saariaho, and others. As a violinist, he has given the Finnish premiere of Schumann’s own violin transcription of the cello concerto. In opera, he conducted the world premiere of Sebastian Fagerlund’s Höstsonaten – Autumn Sonata at the Finnish National Opera, a finalist for the 2018 International Opera Awards.
Storgårds’ discography is extensive, with recordings for labels including Chandos and BIS. His acclaimed releases include complete symphony cycles of Sibelius (2014) and Nielsen (2015) with the BBC Philharmonic, as well as works by George Antheil, Rautavaara, Holmboe, Outi Tarkiainen, Korngold, Nørgård, and Aho. His recording of Rautavaara’s works with the Helsinki Philharmonic received both a Grammy nomination and a Gramophone Award.
Born in Finland, Storgårds studied violin with Chaim Taub, later serving as concertmaster of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen. He subsequently studied conducting with Jorma Panula and Eri Klas. In recognition of his artistic achievements, he has received both the Finnish State Prize for Music (2002) and the Pro Finlandia Prize (2012).