Nil Venditti named chief conductor of Lahti Symphony Orchestra from 2027/28

The Italian-Turkish conductor will succeed Dalia Stasevska at an orchestra internationally renowned for its Sibelius tradition and extensive recording legacy.

Italian-Turkish conductor Nil Venditti has been appointed chief conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, beginning with the 2027/28 season.

Venditti has signed an initial three-year contract, with an option for a further two years. The agreement includes a minimum of six performing weeks per season. She succeeds Dalia Stasevska, whose four-year tenure ended in 2025. Hannu Lintu has served as the orchestra’s artistic partner since the beginning of the 2025/26 season.

The appointment follows Venditti’s recent guest appearances with the orchestra. According to the Lahti Symphony, she made a strong impression on both musicians and audiences, while orchestra board chairman Vesa Lehtinen highlighted her open and collaborative approach to working with the ensemble.

“To become the new Chief Conductor of Lahti Symphony Orchestra means finding a home among these people, in their music and in the traditions they carry forward,” Venditti said in announcing the appointment.

An orchestra with an international reputation

Although based in the Finnish city of Lahti, the orchestra has built an international profile extending well beyond its local role, particularly through its recordings, touring and long association with the music of Jean Sibelius.

Over more than three decades, the Lahti Symphony has made around 100 recordings, predominantly for the Swedish BIS label. According to the orchestra, they have sold more than 1.2 million copies worldwide and earned three platinum and seven gold discs, as well as numerous international recording awards.

Its international reputation became particularly closely associated with Osmo Vänskä, who led the orchestra from 1988 to 2008. Their Sibelius recordings for BIS, including recordings of the original versions of the Violin Concerto and Fifth Symphony, helped establish Lahti as one of the orchestras most closely identified with the Finnish composer on record. The music of Finnish composer Kalevi Aho, the orchestra’s composer laureate, has also occupied an important place in its extensive discography.

The orchestra has also appeared at the BBC Proms and performed at venues including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna’s Musikverein and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Its tours have taken it to Japan, China, South Korea, the United States, South America and numerous European countries.

A distinguished conducting lineage

Venditti joins an orchestra whose recent artistic history has been shaped by a succession of prominent conductors.

After Vänskä’s two-decade tenure, Jukka-Pekka Saraste served as artistic adviser from 2008 to 2011, followed by chief conductors Okko Kamu from 2011 to 2016, Dima Slobodeniouk from 2016 to 2021 and Stasevska from 2021 to 2025. German conductor Anja Bihlmaier was principal guest conductor from 2020 to 2023, while Lintu became artistic partner in 2025.

The orchestra has also organised the International Sibelius Festival at the Sibelius Hall since 2000, further reinforcing its association with the composer. In a departure from the model followed by several of her predecessors, however, Venditti’s appointment will not include artistic direction of the festival.

Venditti’s growing international career

Venditti is currently chief conductor of the CRR Istanbul Symphony Orchestra and has served as principal guest conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia since the 2024/25 season.

Her 2026/27 season includes return appearances with the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, as well as debuts with the Helsinki Philharmonic and Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Venditti studied conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts with Johannes Schlaefli and participated in the conducting academy associated with the Pärnu Music Festival, working with Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi and Leonid Grin. She previously trained as a cellist in Italy.

Her arrival in Lahti in 2027 will therefore place her at the head of an orchestra with an unusually strong recorded identity and a conducting tradition deeply connected to Finnish musical life, while opening a new chapter following more than three decades in which its artistic leadership has been dominated by internationally prominent Finnish conductors.