JUKKA IISAKKILA

conductor - musician - composer

BIOGRAPHY

The Finnish conductor Jukka Iisakkila versatility and broad repertoire have taken him to symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, contemporary ensembles, rock arenas and innovative music clubs throughout Europe and overseas.

A regular guest with many of the leading Scandinavian orchestras, conductor Jukka Iisakkila was the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Pori Sinfonietta from 2004 to 2012. He works regularly with the Turku Philharmonic, Oulu Symphony and Tapiola Sinfonietta in Finland and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway and these fruitful guest conducting collaborations are ongoing. From 2010 he worked regularly as a guest conductor of the Danish Radio Chamber Orchestra and with the Nagoya Philharmonic in Japan.

Iisakkila conducts the Metropole Orchestra in Holland for contemporary and cross-over projects and their collaboration has been highly acclaimed. He has also hold the position of Professor of Conducting at the Stavanger University in Norway and is teaching conducting at the Sibelius Academy.

Jukka Iisakkila conducts all Finnish orchestras on a regular basis and enjoys frequent collaboration with the majority of Scandinavian orchestras. Other guest appearances for the upcoming season include orchestras and tours in the United States, Norway, Japan, Holland, Austria and Czech.

Iisakkila is known for his affinity with contemporary music and cross-over styles and has conducted numerous world premieres having close links with many of today's foremost composers. He is also himself a notable composer and arranger and has performed as an instrumentalist in Europe and will tour in Scandinavia, Asia and United States in 2022-23.

His recording with the Metropole Orchestra and the Swiss metal band Triptycon "Requim" was the biggest selling album in Europe in 2020. He enjoys the ongoing fruitful and successful collaboration with composer/guitarist Steve Vai. Vai and Iisakkila will record a comprehensive catalogue of Steve Vai's works for orchestra with the Metropole Orchestra and with the Tampere Philharmonic. They will do a tour in different continents.

Notable cross-over productions include collaborations with jazz pianist/composer Iro Haarla, saxofonist Trygve Seim, edm-artists Indians and Rumpistol.

Iisakkila has conducted opera performances throughout various Scandinavian opera houses. Highly successful productions span from Don Giovanni to Berg's Wozzeck and from Zimmermann's Soldaten to music by György Ligeti and Helmut Lachenmann.

Jukka Iisakkila is the recipient of many major awards including the Royal Music Academy Award in Sweden 2006 and Finnish Culture Foundation award for achievements the field of conducting. Jukka Iisakkila won the First Prize in the Helsingborg Nordic Conducting competition and the Third Prize in international Jorma Panula Conducting competition.

Since 2003 he has been the Artistic Director and founder of one of the most innovative and artistically rich and praised music festival in Scandinavia, the Saaksmaki Sounds -music festival.

Jukka Iisakkila graduated from the orchestral conducting diploma class at Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm, after studies with the world renowned Professor Jorma Panula. Besides Professor Jorma Panula his most important teachers have been Martyn Brabbins, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Alan Gilbert.

Jukka has fulfilled his studies in Italy and with composers as György Kúrtag and Peter Eötvös.

Jukka Iisakkila studied percussions, piano and jazz /electric guitar first at the Tampere Conservatory of Music. He then finished his performance diplomas, Masters degree, at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and at the Roayl Swedish Academy of Music. Still in his early age he also completed his studies at the University of Central Finland with a Master of Arts degree both in musicology and composition.

He has recorded for various international labels such as Sony / Legacy Recordings, ECM, Dacapo, Favoured Nations, Century Media Records, Pilfink, Apart Records, Pilfink and Eclipse Music. His recording company for solo recordings is Eclipse Music. 


TOUR

Week 8 Vaasa Opera 2022

Vaasa, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

March 2022 at the Studio

Helsinki Music Center, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

8. April 2022 "the Breed" 

Poppari, Jyväskylä, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

30. April 2022 Kuopio Symphony Orchestra 

Kuopio Music Center, Kuopio, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

14. May 2022 Stavanger Symphony Orchestra

MaiJazz, Stavanger concert hall, Norway

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

9. May - 4. June 2022 Steve Vai & the Metropol Orchestra

Hilversum, Holland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

11. June 2022 "the Breed"

Kaustinen Music Festival

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

25. - 30. June 2022 Crusell-music festival

Crusell music festival, Uusikaupunki, Finland

15. - 26. July 2022 Steve Vai & Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

Tampere-hall, Finland

3. - 19. October 2022 TAMK Orchestra Academy


4. November 2022 Vaasa Orchestra

Vaasa church, Finland

10. November 2022 Seinäjoki SKOR Orchestra & the Breed

Seinäjoki hall, Finland

18. November 2022 TAMK Orchestra Academy

Tampere-hall, Finland

2. - 21. January 2023 "Suor Angelica" opera 

Tampere, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

28. January 2023 Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Musiikkitalo / Music Centre, Helsinki, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKET

21. March 2023 Metropol Orchestra & music by Peter Jonatan

Hilversum, Holland

HANKI LIPUT TICKET

20. April 2023 Tapiola Sinfonietta

April Jazz festival, Espoo, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

25. April 2023 Tapiola Sinfonietta

April Jazz festival, Espoo, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

13. May 2023 Steve Vai & Metropol Orchestra 

Bridge Festival, Eindhoven, Muziekgebouw, Holland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

10. June 2023 Jukka Iisakkila @ G LiveLab Tampere

G Livelab Tampere, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

14.-16. July 2023 Zappanale  

Bad Doberan, Germany

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

15. September 2023 Steve Vai & Tampere Philharmonic

Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

29. September 2023 Solo Masterclass

Valkeakoski, Finland

30. November - 2. December 2023 @ Sibelius Academy

Musiikkitalo / Music Center, Helsinki, Finland

23. January 2024 Graz

Graz, Austria

6.-9. March 2024 Stockholm BlåsarSymphoniker

Stockholm, Sweden

HANKI LIPUT TICKETS

14. March 2024 Lappeenranta Orchestra

Lappeenranta, Finland

2. May 2024 Helsinki Strings

Turku, Finland

3. May 2024 Helsinki Strings

Naantali, Finland

14. May 2024 Solo Masterclass

Seinäjoki, Finland

15. May 2024 SKOR Club 

Seinäjoki, Finland

16. May 2024 SKOR Seinäjoki Orchestra

Seinäjoki, Finland

14. June 2024 Kaustinen Folk Arts Centre

Kaustinen Folk Arts Centre, Finland

12.-14. July 2024 Zappanale

Bad Doberan, Germany

26. August - 7. September 2024 Jorma Panula Conducting Competition

Vaasa, Jyväskylä, Finland

7. - 12. Octorber 2024 Utah Symphony Orchestra

Salt Lake City, USA

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY 

VIDEOS


Kai Nieminen: "Il Viaggio" Violin and Viola concertos / Erkki Palola, violin, Anni Kuusimäki, harp, Pori Sinfonietta / PILFINK

Johan Zakrisson: "Aidee" / APART RECORDS

Iro Haarla: "Ante Lucem" for symphony orchestra and jazz quintet / Iro Haarla, Trygve Seim, Hayden Powell, Ulf Krokfors, Mika Kallio Norrlands Opera Symphony Orchestra / ECM

Danish Romances for violin and orchestra / Christina Åstrand, violin, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra / DACAPO

Metropole Orchestra & Triptykon: "Requiem" Live at Roadburn / CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS

Jukka Iisakkila: " Clocks and Clouds" / ECLIPSE MUSIC

...Much more coming up 2023-24...Stay tuned and experienced...

VIDEOS:

STEVE VAI & TAPIOLA SINFONIETTA at HELSINKIFESTIVAL:

FIREGARDEN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1u3W8qAUM&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=1

LOTUS FEET

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY36FIY2hp0&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=5

VELORUM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUujWbXBoLU&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=6

WHISPERING A PRAYER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O07aFSkfo3Y&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=7

I'M BECOMING & SALAMANDERS IN THE SUN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SQYinZW8Hg&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=3

RACING THE WORLD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jx76hkbSfk&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=4

MURDER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiRgufirwtk&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=9

KILL THE GUY WITH THE BALL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox6zNy8-l7Q&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=10

TAPIOLA SINFONIETTA feat. MARZI NYMAN

OIL OF SMOKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-HGFbhhd8&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=11

FRANGELICA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKH_vWNKDFY&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJDyha7xrbI&list=PLb6hBPvlWp_SXinj4afTNATOx5jeNIONJ&index=12

 DANISH ROMANCES & FIREBIRD SUITE 1945 by IGOR STRAVINSKY

TURKU PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA / CHRISTINA ÅSTRAND, VIOLIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzqWQdn-EMY&t=2197s

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: SCHEHERAZADE / TURKU PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UiSM8ouBSo&t=1585s

GYÖRGY LIGETI: MYSTERIES OF THE MACABRE / PIIA KOMSI, SOPRANO 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbMKuFNWwes


TRIPTYKON & METROPOL ORCHESTRA: REQUIEM trailers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=escCZX8kORs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6oA3YlsApU