The Finnish conductor will take up the post in January 2027, succeeding Rodolfo Saglimbeni and becoming the latest European conductor to lead one of Latin America’s longest-established orchestras.
The Finnish conductor Ari Rasilainen has been appointed Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, beginning a four-year term on 1 January 2027.
The appointment was announced by the Centre for Artistic and Cultural Extension of the University of Chile (CEAC), which oversees the orchestra. Rasilainen succeeds Venezuelan conductor Rodolfo Saglimbeni, who died in 2025 after serving as the ensemble’s Music Director.
Founded in 1941, the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile is one of the country’s leading classical music institutions and one of the oldest professional orchestras in Latin America. The appointment marks a new chapter for the ensemble as it continues its activities from the recently inaugurated National Symphonic Hall in Santiago.
Born in Helsinki in 1959, Rasilainen belongs to the generation of Finnish conductors shaped by the influential Sibelius Academy tradition. He studied with Jorma Panula and Arvid Jansons before beginning his career as a violinist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. His international profile rose after winning second prize at the 1989 Copenhagen International Conducting Competition.
Over the past four decades, he has held leadership positions with several European orchestras, including the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra and the South West German Philharmonic Orchestra of Konstanz. Alongside his conducting career, he has built an extensive discography, recording widely for labels such as Naxos and Sony, and has taught conducting at the University of Music Würzburg since 2011.
Although little known to broader international audiences compared with some of Finland’s more high-profile conductors, Rasilainen has earned a reputation as a specialist in the Austro-German and Nordic repertoire and has maintained a particularly active presence in Central Europe.
His relationship with the Chilean orchestra dates back to 2012, when he made his debut with the ensemble. He returned in November 2025 for two concerts, one of which later received recognition from the Chilean Circle of Art Critics, helping to strengthen his connection with the musicians.
Before officially taking up the position, Rasilainen is scheduled to return to Santiago to conduct the orchestra in September and December 2026.
In comments released by CEAC, the conductor said he was looking forward to building connections between European and Latin American musical traditions and expressed a desire to explore and promote Chilean repertoire internationally.
The appointment follows a transition period for the orchestra after Saglimbeni’s death. During that time, conductor Barbara Dragan served as artistic adviser while the institution carried out an international search for its next music director.
For Chile’s National Symphony Orchestra, the choice of Rasilainen signals a preference for an experienced orchestral builder with a long record in European musical life rather than a younger podium star. Whether that approach will translate into a distinctive artistic profile over the coming years remains to be seen, but the appointment provides the orchestra with stability and a clear artistic leadership as it enters its next chapter.
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