Klaus Mäkelä was born on 17 January 1996 in Helsinki into a family of musicians, and entered the Sibelius Academy young, studying cello with Marko Ylönen and conducting with Jorma Panula. He continued to perform as a cellist while building a conducting career, and has appeared as soloist in the chamber and concerto repertoire alongside his podium work. He was appointed chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic in 2020 and music director of the Orchestre de Paris in 2021. He was subsequently named chief conductor designate of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and music director designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Mäkelä’s rapid ascent to the leadership of several major orchestras while still in his twenties has made him one of the most closely watched musicians of his generation. His recorded cycles of Sibelius and Shostakovich with the Oslo Philharmonic for Decca were widely reviewed and helped establish his reputation beyond the concert hall. He has retained an active identity as a cellist, occasionally directing concertos from the instrument, as in the Brahms Double Concerto. His appointments in Amsterdam and Chicago have prompted extensive discussion about the pace of contemporary conducting careers and the future of the orchestral music director model.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_M%C3%A4kel%C3%A4