John Storgards & Lapland Chamber Orchestra - Karlsson: 7 Songs & Clarinet Concerto (2018) CD Rip

John Storgårds is a Finnish conductor and violin virtuoso, known for his strong interest in playing and promoting contemporary music. After studying violin with Esther Raitio and Jouko Ignatius at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, he went to Israel to study with Chaim Taub. While performing as an orchestra musician, Storgårds frequently led as concert master, and he developed an interest in conducting, particularly after receiving an offer to conduct the Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra. From 1993 to 1997, he studied conducting with Eri Klas and Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy. Storgårds was concert master of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen.

In 1996, he took up duties as the artistic director of the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland, the most northerly orchestra in Europe. As a guest conductor, he has worked with numerous international orchestras, including the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Danish National Symphony, the Bamberger Symphoniker, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI Torino. He became principal guest conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, then was hired as chief conductor through 2014. He also served as chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 to 2009. In 2012, Storgårds was named as principal guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, taking over from Vassily Sinaisky. Storgårds was a founder of the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, and has led the ensemble's Summer Sounds Festival. He has also been artistic director of the Korsholm Music Festival. He was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Music in 2002. Storgårds has recorded for Sony, Ondine, and BIS, performing music by Panufnik, Corigliano, Holmboe, Melartin, and Vasks. -- Blair Sanderson