Sakari Oramo began his musical career as a violinist, and for some years was leader of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He made his breakthrough as a conductor in 1993, and has since conducted many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras including the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, Dresden Staatskapelle and Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1998–2008), he was awarded honorary doctorates by two English universities, the Elgar Medal, the title of Birmingham’s most popular cultural personality and, in 2009, honoured with an OBE for his services to music in the city.

Oramo was chief conductor and artistic advisor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra until the end of the 2020/21 season and will return regularly as a guest. After nine years as chief conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, he has been chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 2013, winning the 2015 Royal Philharmonic Society Conductor of the Year award in recognition of his work with the latter. Between 2004 and 2018 he was principal conductor of the West Coast Kokkola Opera, and between 2013 and 2019 he was artistic director of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. Sakari Oramo appears on a large number of highly praised recordings, primarily as a conductor but also as a violinist and chamber musician.