In Oramo’s native Finland, recent return engagements include Tampere Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony, Ostrobothnian Chamber and Joensuu City orchestras; other collaborations include Helsinki Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Turku Philharmonic and Oulu Symphony orchestras, Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Finnish Chamber Opera, and opening the 2024 edition of the Jyväskylä Festival.
Oramo’s skills in electronics and sound design and as a tenor and clarinettist influence his repertoire choices, from improvisatory elements to multi-disciplinary collaborations. With his experimental electroacoustic group Tölöläb, which combines woodwinds with live electronics, notable performances include Ajamana (Driven) by Juhani Nuorvala, a symphony for woodwind and percussion quartets and electronics performed at Helsinki Festival 2023 which garnered rave reviews from the Finnish Press; a concert programme interspersing live improvised interludes within movements of Webern’s Symphony Op.21 and Magnus Lindberg’s Jubilees (Tapiola Sinfonietta, with Oramo conducting); as well as collaborating with internationally renowned jazz trumpeter Verneri Pohjola and dream-pop duo Karina to produce an hour-long TV concert for the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
The double role of conducting-singing is also an occasional feature of Oramo’s programming; he most recently performed Heta Aho’s Three Songs to Poems by Edith Södergran (world orchestral premiere, Pori Sinfonietta; Asian premiere, Hong Kong Philharmonic). “Two things that excite me most about conducting-singing are that it’s a thoroughly visceral way to perform music and that it allows for a nuanced relationship between text and music in an orchestral setting. Pieces that I know inside and out help me craft programmes with strong dramatic arcs that have deep meaning for me.”
Oramo studied conducting at the Panula Academy under Jorma Panula and at Sibelius Academy under Atso Almila and Hannu Lintu. His conducting career was launched with two short-notice jump-ins with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Tapiola Sinfonietta, for which he received glowing reviews. He is a founding member, former executive director and Chairman of the Board at Eloa Culture Company, which produces multidisciplinary chamber music events.
