(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has named its next music director, who will lead the ensemble starting in 2027.
Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä will succeed music director Riccardo Muti to become the CSO's 11th Music Director in the ensemble’s 133-year history.
The cellist occasionally performs in chamber concerts with orchestras in Oslo, Paris, and Amsterdam. He’s also relatively young – currently 28. He’ll be 31 when he takes over the reins in three years.
“I don’t think about it. Music doesn’t really have any age,” Mäkelä told the New York Times in an article published Tuesday.
In Chicago, Mäkelä will conduct the orchestra a minimum of 14 weeks in concerts in Chicago, the United States and internationally.
His initial five-year tenure as music director begins in September 2027.
“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 said in a prepared statement.
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