Klaus Mäkelä

Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä Klaus Mäkelä has held the position of chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020 and music director of the Orchestre de Paris since 2021. In 2027, he assumes the chief conductor position of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and also begins his tenure as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

An exclusive Decca Classics artist, Mäkelä has released three albums with the Orchestre de Paris, including Ballet Russes scores by Stravinsky and Debussy, as well as Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Ravel’s La valse. With the Oslo Philharmonic, he has recorded the complete symphonies of Sibelius, Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto with Janine Jansen, and Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 6.

With the Oslo Philharmonic, Mäkelä’s 2025–26 season opens with Mahler’s Seventh Symphony and closes with Magnus Lindberg’s Kraft. Additional highlights include a January tour and residencies in Hamburg, Vienna, Paris, and Essen. His fifth season with the Orchestre de Paris features wide-ranging programs, from Beethoven’s Missa solemnis to Pascal Dusapin’s Antigone, alongside works by Bizet, Franck, Joan Tower, Anders Hillborg, and Ellen Reid.

With the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mäkelä’s performances at the 2025 BBC Proms and Salzburg Festival are followed by an extensive tour of South Korea and Japan. At home, they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the traditional Christmas Matinée TV broadcasts and commence an annual residency at the 2026 Baden-Baden Easter Festival, taking over from the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Mäkelä also conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in four residencies this season and leads them in a US tour, which marks his first appearance with the Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He returns to the United States in summer 2026 for his Ravinia Festival debut, leading the Orchestra in two programs.

Further, Mäkelä appears as guest conductor with the Berliner Philharmoniker. As a cellist, he partners with members of the Orchestre de Paris and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.