Saraste, Jukka-Pekka
Saraste, Jukka-Pekka
Saraste, Jukka-Pekka, Finnish conductor; b. Helsinki, April 22, 1956. He studied violin and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, obtaining diplomas in both subjects in 1979; then made his debut as a conductor with the Helsinki Phil, in 1980. After winning the Nordic conducting competition in 1981, he appeared as a guest conductor throughout Scandinavia. In 1983 he made his first tour of the U.S. as co-conductor (with Okko Kamu) of the Helsinki Phil; his British debut followed in 1984, when he appeared as a guest conductor of the London Sym. Orch. at a Promenade concert in London; he also made his German debut as a guest conductor with the Munich Phil. In 1985 he was named principal guest conductor of the Finnish Radio Sym. Orch. in Helsinki. He toured Australia in 1986. In 1987 he took the Finnish Radio Sym. Orch. to England, during which tour he conducted all the Sibelius syms. at the Brighton Festival; that same year, he was promoted to chief conductor of the orch. and became principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orch. in Glasgow. In 1994 he became music director of the Toronto Sym.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire