The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has named violinist Pekka Kuusisto as their newest Artistic Partner, beginning in the 2016/17 season.
Known internationally as both a soloist and director who “becomes rather than performs the music he plays” (The Guardian), Kuusisto joins current SPCO Artistic Partners Jeremy Denk, Martin Fröst, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Thomas Zehetmair.
Before his tenure starts in September 2016, Kuusisto will lead the orchestra next season (2 – 3 April 2016) in a programme that combines contemporary works from a diverse selection of living composers and movements from Haydn’s Symphony No.88 with Mozart’s Violin Concert No.5.
Announcing the appointment, SPCO President Bruce Coppock said, “In seeking Artistic Partners for the SPCO, we look for artists who are not only talented performers, but who also have the capacity to inspire our audiences and musicians alike. Pekka Kuusisto is an amazingly poetic and imaginative musician who clearly fits the bill. He dares to explore new repertoire and new ways of presentation, but his music-making is always grounded in exquisite violin playing.”
Kyu-Young Kim, the SPCO’s Senior Director of Artistic Planning and principal second violinist, commented “Pekka Kuusisto has been delighting SPCO audiences for the past seven years with the freshness of his interpretations of our core repertoire and the pure, infectious joy of his music making. I know his Artistic Partnership will be a great adventure, both for our players and for our audiences.”
Kuusisto’s recent and upcoming highlights include recitals with the Schubert Club in collaboration with Jay Gilligan (juggler) and Dermot Dunne (accordion), debuts with Seattle Symphony Orchestra and MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, and a two week tour of South America with The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen as both soloist and director.
