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