Markus Lehtinen, conductor

Markus Lehtinen (b. 1959) gained diplomas in orchestral conducting and piano from the Sibelius Academy in 1985. His teachers included Jorma Panula (orchestral conducting) and Meri Louhos (piano), in addition to whom he received tuition from Aulis Sallinen and Einojuhani Rautavaara in his composition studies.

Markus Lehtinen’s conducting career took off on jointly winning the Nordic conducting competition in 1987, after which he was soon engaged as conductor to the Copenhagen Royal Opera from 1988-1993, and since 1992 he has also been a regular visitor to the Stockholm Royal Opera, while taking part in several foreign tours, such as to Athens, the USA and the Czech Republic. Markus Lehtinen has twice been engaged by the Finnish National Opera: from 1985-88 and 1992-97, since which time he has been guest conductor. During 1999-2002, Markus Lehtinen was chief conductor of Jyväskylä Sinfonia and chief guest conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Audiences will be able to hear Mr. Lehtinen again in 2007 conducting works from the whole spectrum of symphonic music with leading Nordic orchestras.

Markus Lehtinen made his debut with the Hamburg Opera conducting Prokofiev’s ballet Cinderella in the spring of 1993, and his engagements at Hamburg and cooperation with the ballet have continued every year. His performances at German opera houses have expanded to include, for example, the Deutsche Oper Berlin (including Henze’s Undine, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Puccini’s Turandot, Verdi’s Aida and Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman) and the Bavarian State Opera.

The list of premieres that have been conducted by Markus Lehtinen is impressive: Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Caroline Mathilde, Rodion Shchedrin’s Lolita together with Mstislav Rostropovich, George Couroupos’ Odysseus, Aulis Sallinen’s Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (The King Goes Forth to France), Einojuhani Ratavaara’s Aleksis Kivi and Tuomas Kantelinen’s Paavo Nurmi. In summer 2007, Mr. Lehtinen will be at the Savonlinna Opera Festival to conduct Olli Kortekangas’ opera Isän Tyttö (Daddy’s Girl), which was commissioned in honour of the centenary of the Finnish Parliament.

Mr. Lehtinen is also known as a lied pianist and has accompanied such luminary figures as Matti Salminen, Jorma Hynninen, Raimo Sirkiä, Tommi Hakala, Karita Mattila, Soile Isokoski and Monica Groop. His cooperation with singers goes back to the Savonlinna Opera Festival when Mr. Lehtinen was voted Artist of the Year 2005. In the same year he conducted the 60th birthday gala concert for Matti Salminen. During 2000-2005, he was also a member of the Savonlinna Opera Festival’s artistic committee.

Since autumn 2004, Markus Lehtinen has been Professor of the Opera Department of the Sibelius Academy, and he was also the artistic director of the Academy’s first Winter Festival, SibaFest, in 2006. The most noteworthy of Mr. Lehtinen’s other artistic activities include master classes with Kim Borg and conducting classes in the Nordic countries. He has recorded for Finlandia Records and Ondine for whom he recorded Einojuhani Rautavaara’s opera Aleksis Kivi.

Homepage: Markus Lehtinen

FORTHCOMING PERFORMANCES:

Kungliga Operan, Stockholm: Romeo och Julia, balett


PAST:

Savonlinna Opera Festival, Olli Kortekangas: Daddy's Girl (wp)