The Most Famous
CONDUCTORS from Finland
This page contains a list of the greatest Finnish Conductors. The pantheon dataset contains 128 Conductors, 8 of which were born in Finland. This makes Finland the birth place of the 6th most number of Conductors behind Italy, and United States.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Finnish Conductors of all time. This list of famous Finnish Conductors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Finnish Conductors.
1. Leif Segerstam (1944 - 2024)
With an HPI of 64.40, Leif Segerstam is the most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.
Leif Selim Segerstam ( LAYF, 2 March 1944 – 9 October 2024) was a Finnish music composer, conductor, violinist, violist, and pianist. He is especially best known for writing over 300 symphonies, along with other works. He held many important positions in Finnish music industry both in Finland and around the world. From 1963 until his death in 2024, Segerstam conducted a variety of orchestras in Finland, Europe, North America, and Australia and New Zealand. He was conductor at Finnish National Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and was a chief conductor of ORF Symphony Orchestra, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Danish National Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. He is widely known through his recordings, including complete symphonies of Blomdahl, Brahms, Mahler, Nielsen, and Sibelius, as well as many works by contemporary composers. He is remembered for his contributions to Finnish music scene, and his vibrant personality. He taught as a professor of orchestra conducting at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
2. Robert Kajanus (1856 - 1933)
With an HPI of 59.45, Robert Kajanus is the 2nd most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Robert Kajanus (2 December 1856 – 6 July 1933) was a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher. In 1882, he founded the Helsinki Orchestral Society, Finland's first professional orchestra. As a conductor, he was also a notable champion and interpreter of the music of Jean Sibelius.
3. Esa-Pekka Salonen (b. 1958)
With an HPI of 59.41, Esa-Pekka Salonen is the 3rd most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Esa-Pekka Salonen (pronounced [ˈesɑˌpekːɑ ˈsɑlonen] ; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the principal conductor designate of Orchestre de Paris and creative director designate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is also conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 2020 to 2025.
4. Paavo Berglund (1929 - 2012)
With an HPI of 59.31, Paavo Berglund is the 4th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund (14 April 1929 – 25 January 2012) was a Finnish conductor and violinist.
5. Jorma Panula (b. 1930)
With an HPI of 58.81, Jorma Panula is the 5th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Jorma Juhani Panula (born 10 August 1930) is a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher of conducting. He has mentored many Finnish conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä, Klaus Mäkelä and Tarmo Peltokoski.
6. Jukka-Pekka Saraste (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 57.32, Jukka-Pekka Saraste is the 6th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste (born 22 April 1956) is a Finnish conductor and violinist.
7. Okko Kamu (b. 1946)
With an HPI of 54.70, Okko Kamu is the 7th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Okko Tapani Kamu (born 7 March 1946, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and violinist. He has a considerable discography and has held leading positions with several Scandinavian orchestras.
8. Osmo Vänskä (b. 1953)
With an HPI of 53.93, Osmo Vänskä is the 8th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Osmo Antero Vänskä (born 28 February 1953) is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer.
9. Sakari Oramo (b. 1965)
With an HPI of 48.14, Sakari Oramo is the 9th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Sakari Markus Oramo, (born 26 October 1965) is a Finnish conductor. He is chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
10. Klaus Mäkelä (b. 1996)
With an HPI of 46.72, Klaus Mäkelä is the 10th most famous Finnish Conductor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Klaus Mäkelä (Finnish: [ˈklɑu̯s ˈmækelæ]; born 17 January 1996) is a Finnish conductor and cellist. He is the chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, and music director of the Orchestre de Paris. Mäkelä is also artistic partner and chief conductor-designate of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and music director-designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
People
Pantheon has 10 people classified as Finnish conductors born between 1856 and 1996. Of these 10, 7 (70.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Finnish conductors include Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jorma Panula, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The most famous deceased Finnish conductors include Leif Segerstam, Robert Kajanus, and Paavo Berglund. As of April 2024, 2 new Finnish conductors have been added to Pantheon including Sakari Oramo, and Klaus Mäkelä.
Living Finnish Conductors
Go to all Rankings
Esa-Pekka Salonen
1958 - Present
HPI: 59.41
Jorma Panula
1930 - Present
HPI: 58.81
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
1956 - Present
HPI: 57.32
Okko Kamu
1946 - Present
HPI: 54.70
Osmo Vänskä
1953 - Present
HPI: 53.93
Sakari Oramo
1965 - Present
HPI: 48.14
Klaus Mäkelä
1996 - Present
HPI: 46.72
Deceased Finnish Conductors
Go to all RankingsLeif Segerstam
1944 - 2024
HPI: 64.40
Robert Kajanus
1856 - 1933
HPI: 59.45
Paavo Berglund
1929 - 2012
HPI: 59.31
Newly Added Finnish Conductors (2025)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Conductors were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Conductors since 1700.
