Matthew Halls appointed chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor Matthew Halls has today been confirmed as the next chief conductor and artistic director of Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. Halls will succeed Santtu-Matias Rouvali who has held the role for a decade.

Halls will begin his three-year contract with the orchestra next autumn, having made his debut with the orchestra just seven months ago. Hall’s next performance with Tampere Philharmonic will be Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony and Fagerlund’s Cello Concerto with cellist Jonathan Roozeman in late October.

Eija Oravuo, the orchestra’s general manager, said: ‘Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra is excited to begin the journey with Matthew Halls, who is a wonderfully versatile and inspiring conductor and musician. He will be our 12th chief conductor and the third non-Finn in this position.’

Alongside his new role, Hall will continue his partnerships with Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, and Indianapolis Symphony and Houston Symphony, as well as making his debut with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris. Originally trained as a pianist, Hall has a background in period performance. His previous roles include artistic director of the Retrospect Ensemble which Hall founded in 2009, as well the role of artistic director with Oregon Bach festival from 2014 to 2017.

Hall said: ‘Within minutes of our first rehearsal, I was captivated by the orchestra’s extraordinary musicianship, their inspiring work ethic and energising desire to explore. It will be a great privilege to serve the orchestra and participate to the vibrant cultural life in Tampere’.