“Klaus Mäkelä, a 26-year-old Finnish maestro on a rapid rise, will be the next chief conductor of the storied Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the ensemble announced on Friday, after a several-year search following the dismissal of Daniele Gatti over sexual assault allegations in 2018,” writes Joshua Barone in Friday’s (6/10) New York Times. “Mäkelä … currently leads the Orchestre de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic…. Because of Mäkelä’s existing posts, he is on an initial 10-year Concertgebouw contract that begins this fall with the title of artistic partner, with a commitment of five weeks a season; he will not fully assume the podium as chief conductor until 2027, at which point he will appear with the group for a minimum of 12 weeks…. Mäkelä, who was originally trained as a cellist … has appeared with some of the world’s top ensembles in ambitious repertory—such as Mahler, and contemporary music by the Peruvian-born composer Jimmy López—and will make his New York Philharmonic debut in December…. Mäkelä said that he hoped his initial five-week commitment would increase over time, and that he would begin conducting opera ‘as soon as the schedule allows it.’”
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