Conductor, composer and violinist Jaakko Kuusisto enjoys an extensive career that was launched by a series of successes in international violin competitions in the 1990s. Kuusisto’s conducting repertoire is versatile and ranges from baroque to the latest new works, regardless of genre. He has worked with many leading orchestras, including Minnesota Orchestra; Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras; National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa; NDR Hannover, DeFilharmonie in Belgium; Chamber Orchestras of Tallinn and Lausanne; Helsinki, Turku and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestras; Lahti Symphony Orchestra as well as the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra.
He works regularly in opera as well; in 2016 he orchestrated and conducted Indigo at the Finnish National Opera, a work written by Eicca Toppinen and Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica. Kuusisto has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, starting August 2018. Kuusisto’s compositions consist of nearly 40 opuses: chamber and vocal music, orchestral pieces, operas, as well as music for films. His Violin Concerto, written for Elina Vähälä, has become an international success with performances by, among others, the Minnesota, Detroit and Singapore orchestras.
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Jaakko Kuusisto, violin
Jaakko Kuusisto, composer
Koirien Kalevala (The Canine Kalevala) - A Family Opera in One Act
Toni Wahlström, Lemminkäinen (a cat)
Jukka Romu, Väinämöinen (a dog)
Juha Hostikka, Ilmarinen (a dog)
Eija Ahvo, Lemminkäinen's mother
Tiina Sinkkonen, Louhi (a wolf)
Mari Palo, Tytti
Sami Vartiainen, Mr. Clutterbuck
The Canine Kalevala Choir
Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Jaakko Kuusisto, conductor
ODV 4007 (DVD Video)
watch YouTube trailer
Released 11/2008