Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä has held the position of chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020 and music director of the Orchestre de Paris since September 2021. He assumes the title of chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in September 2027 and, in the same season, begins his tenure as Zell Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  

He opens the 2025 / 26 season with the Oslo Philharmonic. Additional highlights include a January tour and residencies in Hamburg, Vienna, Paris and Essen. This is his fifth season with the Orchestre de Paris. 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 in the fall. At home, they celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the traditional Christmas Matinée TV broadcasts, and at the 2026 Baden Baden Easter Festival, they commence an annual residency, taking over from the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in four residencies at Symphony Center this season and leads a U.S. tour, making his first appearance with the CSO at Carnegie Hall in February. He returns to the States in Summer 2026 for his Ravinia Festival debut, leading the CSO in two programmes. He also appears as guest conductor with the Berliner Philharmoniker, and as a cellist he partners with members of the Orchestre de Paris and Concertgebouw Orchestra.