About
Joonas Pitkänen is a charismatic young Finnish conductor recognized for his natural gravitas on the podium and
passionate musicianship. Pitkänen has been praised for the clarity and efficiency of his conducting and his ability to shape the sound of the orchestra. His approach is characterised by a sense of depth and quality, and in addition to the Nordic repertoire to which he feels a natural affinity, he is particularly drawn to the work of Mahler and Brahms as well as the work of Bartok and Shostakovich. Pitkänen was principal conductor of Monferrato Classic Orchestra in Italy and is currently principal conductor of Akademisches Orchester Freiburg.
Pitkänen won 1st prize in Cítta de Brescia - Giancarlo Facchinetti conducting competition and a distinction in the 11th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors in 2023. The prize includes concerts in Italy, Romania and Czech Republic with orchestras like Filarmonica Bacau and I Solisti Aquilani.
His upcoming engagements include re-invitations to work with Camerata Zürich and St. Michel Strings, and debuts with Helsinki Philharmonic, Hradec Kralove Philharmonic Orchestra and Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara.
He has appeared as guest conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel, Slovak Chamber Orchestra and Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, among others. As an opera conductor he has appeared with
Opera Studio Würzburg and Opernkollektiv Zürich where he conducted
the World Premiere Production and Recording of Joachim Raffs “Die Eifersüchtigen”.
He was handpicked to LEAD! Foundations Excellence Platform for Young Artists where he is being closely mentored by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Pitkänen also acts as Artistic Director of Finnish concert series
Feeling blue & white in Basel, which he co-founded in 2014.
Pitkänen studied conducting in Musikhochschule Würzburg with Ari Rasilainen and cello in Hochschule für Musik Basel with Thomas Demenga. He has also participated in masterclasses with Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mark Stringer, Ulrich Windfuhr, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Hannu Lintu.
He has a natural musical instinct; he is a passionate musician with a lively imagination and an inquisitive mind which radiates through his conducting.
