Klaus Mäkelä to join Chicago Symphony Orchestra as next music director

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (SCO) has announced that it has appointed Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä as its next music director. Set to become the 11th music director in the ensemble’s 133-year history, Mäkelä is now the Zell music director designate and will begin his initial five-year tenure as Zell music director in September 2027.

The CSO Association Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to approve Mäkelä’s appointment on the recommendation of its Music Director Search Committee. Mäkelä will conduct the orchestra for a minimum of 10 weeks of concerts in and around Chicago, plus four weeks of domestic and international tours.

Mäkelä said: ‘I am honored to have been chosen as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and inspired to embark on this journey with an orchestra that combines such brilliance, power, and passion. I look forward to getting to know the musicians more over the coming years, and am grateful for the time this allows for us to establish and deepen our relationship, in preparation for what is a major and exciting commitment.’

Mäkelä will be 31 when he commences his CSO tenure in 2027. He will balance his new role with the position of chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which he will also take up at the start of the 2027/28 season. Until then he has confirmed he will ‘remain committed to his ongoing collaborations with the Orchestre de Paris and Oslo Philharmonic.’ He will work closely with the French and Norwegian orchestras for the next three seasons, and hopes to return to both ensembles ‘on a regular basis after my official tenures are completed.’

CSOA president Jeff Alexander said: ‘In his first two memorable engagements with the CSO, Klaus Mäkelä established an exceptional connection with our musicians and demonstrated his ability to deliver extremely moving performances of a wide range of repertoire. As we got to know him off the podium and witnessed – in addition to his extraordinary musical talent – his passion for the artform, keen interest in music education and the legacy of the CSO, and innate ability to connect warmly and sincerely with our trustees, volunteers, concert attendees, donors, and administrative staff, it quickly became clear that he was the ideal choice to lead the orchestra into the future. I am delighted with this outcome.’

Having made his debut with the CSO in April 2022, Mäkelä conducts his first CSO concert as Zell music director designate tomorrow (4 April) as part of a run of subscription concerts which combine the US premiere of Sauli Zinovjev’s Batteria with Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony and First Cello Concerto. He is also scheduled to lead two weeks of subscription concerts in the 2024-25 season and will gradually devote longer periods to subscription concerts, touring engagements, and other activities in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.