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Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Klaus Mäkelä
Person · male · Finland · Helsinki · born 1996 · recording since 2018
Finnish conductor and violoncellist
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Also known as 克劳斯·梅凯莱
Timeline
9 events▣ Album 7◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1990s
2010s
· Debut release
Debut release: 2018-10-11: Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland
First documented Broadcast in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2020s
· Album
Album: Stravinsky: Petrushka - Debussy: Jeux / Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Album
source: musicbrainz
Biography
English biography735 words · 2 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1377869487
Biography
Klaus Mäkelä (Finnish: [ˈklɑu̯s ˈmækelæ]; born 17 January 1996) is a Finnish conductor and cellist. He is music director of the Orchestre de Paris, chief conductor-designate of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and music director-designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Biography
Mäkelä was born in Helsinki into a family of musicians; his father is the cellist Sami Mäkelä, and his mother is the pianist Taru Myöhänen-Mäkelä. His grandfather, Tapio Myöhänen, is a violinist and violist. His younger sister, Ellen Mäkelä, is a dancer with the Ballets de Catalunya.
Mäkelä studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula and cello with Marko Ylönen, Timo Hanhinen and Hannu Kiiski. He became interested in conducting at age 12, when he sang in the choir of the Finnish National Opera. Mäkelä has been a soloist with Finnish orchestras such as the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra and the Jyväskylä Sinfonia. He has performed at Finnish music festivals such as the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and the Naantali Music Festival.
In September 2017, Mäkelä first guest-conducted the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. On the basis of this appearance, in December 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Mäkelä as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2018–2019 season, with a contract of three years. Mäkelä was the youngest-ever appointment to a titled conductor post with the orchestra.
Mäkelä was the artistic director of the Turku Music Festival from 2018 to 2024. In May 2018, Mäkelä first guest-conducted the Oslo Philharmonic. On the basis of this appearance, in October 2018, the orchestra announced the appointment of Mäkelä as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. This appointment marked the first chief conductorship for Mäkelä. In May 2020, the orchestra announced an extension of Mäkelä's initial contract with the Oslo Philharmonic for an additional four seasons, unusual in its timing before the official start of his tenure with the orchestra. He had been scheduled to conclude his Oslo Philharmonic tenure at the close of the 2026–2027 season. In August 2025, the Oslo Philharmonic announced that Mäkelä is to conclude his tenure with the orchestra at the close of the 2025–2026 season, one season earlier than previously announced.
In June 2019, Mäkelä first guest-conducted the Orchestre de Paris. In June 2020, the Orchestre de Paris announced the appointment of Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2022–2023 season, with an initial contract of five seasons. The original intention had been for Mäkelä to hold the post of musical advisor for the two prior seasons, from 2020 to 2022. However, Mäkelä assumed the role of music director in September 2021, one year earlier than originally planned. He is scheduled to stand down from the Orchestre de Paris at the close of the 2026–2027 season.
In September 2020, Mäkelä first guest-conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Following several additional guest-conducting appearances, in June 2022, the RCO announced the appointment of Mäkelä as an artistic partner for the period of 2022–2027, and subsequently as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of five years. Mäkelä's collaboration with the RCO includes appearances in the Mahler Festival in May 2025, in which he conducted Mahler's Symphony No.1 and Symphony No. 8, "Symphony of a Thousand".
In 2022, Mäkelä first guest-conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), and returned for a guest-conducting appearance in February 2023. In April 2024, the CSO announced the appointment of Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of five years.
Mäkelä has an exclusive recording contract with Decca, only the third conductor in Decca's history with an exclusive recording contract. His first recording for Decca was a set of the complete Sibelius symphonies with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, which was followed by recordings of Sibelius and Prokofiev violin concertos with Janine Jansen and Shostakovich Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 and 6. He has also recorded three recordings with the Orchestre de Paris, with music of Berioz, Stravinsky and of Debussy. In June 2024, Mäkelä was named "Conductor of the Year" at the 2024 OPUS Klassik Awards for his 2023 recording with the Orchestre de Paris of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and The Firebird. In recognition of his artistic achievements, he has also been awarded the Sibelius Medal (2022) and named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2025).
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 19 | 79.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | 7 | 21th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (9 release groups · 7 studio albums)
Albums · 7
2022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 30 tracks · 4:24:52
Disc 11Symphony no. 1 in E minor, op. 39: I. Andante, ma non troppo - Allegro energico11:492Symphony no. 1 in E minor, op. 39: II. Andante (ma non troppo lento)9:453Symphony no. 1 in E minor, op. 39: III. Scherzo: Allegro5:174Symphony no. 1 in E minor, op. 39: IV. Finale (Quasi una fantasia)13:005Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: I. Allegretto10:116Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: II. Tempo andante, ma rubato14:587Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: III. Vivacissimo6:228Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: IV. Finale. Allegro moderato14:29Disc 21Symphony no. 3 in C major, op. 52: I. Allegro moderato10:142Symphony no. 3 in C major, op. 52: II. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto10:423Symphony no. 3 in C major, op. 52: III. Moderato - Allegro (ma non tanto)9:054Symphony no. 4 in A minor, op. 63: I. Tempo molto moderato, quasi adagio11:205Symphony no. 4 in A minor, op. 63: II. Allegro molto vivace4:556Symphony no. 4 in A minor, op. 63: III. Il tempo largo11:407Symphony no. 4 in A minor, op. 63: IV. Allegro9:57Disc 31Symphony no. 5 in E‐flat major, op. 82: I. Tempo molto moderato - Allegro moderato - Presto14:212Symphony no. 5 in E‐flat major, op. 82: II. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto9:423Symphony no. 5 in E‐flat major, op. 82: III. Allegro molto - Un pochettino largamente9:574Symphony no. 6 in D minor, op. 104: I. Allegro molto moderato9:265Symphony no. 6 in D minor, op. 104: II. Allegretto moderato6:516Symphony no. 6 in D minor, op. 104: III. Poco vivace3:517Symphony no. 6 in D minor, op. 104: IV. Allegro molto11:14Disc 41Symphony no. 7 in C major, op. 105: Adagio9:502Symphony no. 7 in C major, op. 105: Vivacissimo - Adagio -2:513Symphony no. 7 in C major, op. 105: Allegro molto moderato -4:434Symphony no. 7 in C major, op. 105: Vivace - Presto - Adagio5:185Tapiola, op. 11219:2363 Late Fragments (compl. Virtanen): HUL 13251:4173 Late Fragments (compl. Virtanen): HUL 1326/90:1783 Late Fragments (compl. Virtanen): HUL 1327/2 (Allegro moderato)1:432022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:20:04
1Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: I. Allegretto10:122Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: II. Tempo andante, ma rubato14:593Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: III. Vivacissimo6:224Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 43: IV. Finale. Allegro moderato14:305Symphony no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 82: I. Tempo molto moderato - Allegro moderato - Presto14:226Symphony no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 82: II. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto9:427Symphony no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 82: III. Allegro molto - Un pochettino largamente9:57The Rite of Spring / The Firebird
2023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 33 tracks · 1:23:21
1Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Introduction3:342Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Les Augures printaniers3:173Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Jeu du rapt1:194Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Rondes printanières3:515Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Jeux des cités rivales1:526Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Cortège du sage0:427Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Adoration de la Terre0:238Le Sacre du printemps: Part I. L'Adoration de la Terre, Danse de la Terre1:149Le Sacre du printemps: Part II. Le Sacrifice, Introduction4:3710Le Sacre du printemps: Part II. Le Sacrifice, Cercles mystérieux des adolescentes3:2911Le Sacre du printemps: Part II. Le Sacrifice, Glorification de l'élue1:3412Le Sacre du printemps: Part II. Le Sacrifice, Evocation des ancêtres0:4513Le Sacre du printemps: Part II. Le Sacrifice, Action rituelle des ancêtres3:4614Le Sacre du printemps: Part II. Le Sacrifice, Danse sacrale4:5015L'Oiseau de feu: Introduction2:5216L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Le Jardin enchanté de Kachtcheï1:5017L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Apparition de l'Oiseau de feu, poursuivi par Ivan Tsarévitch2:1718L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Danse de l'Oiseau de feu1:1619L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Capture de l'Oiseau de feu par Ivan Tsarévitch1:0320L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Supplications de l'Oiseau de feu6:1221L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Apparition des treize princesses enchantées2:3522L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Jeu des princesses avec les pommes d'or2:2623L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Brusque apparition d'Ivan Tsarévitch1:2124L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Khorovode des princesses4:4225L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Lever du jour – Palais de Kachtcheï1:2426L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Carillon Féerique, Les monstres-gardiens, Capture d'Ivan Tsarévitch1:3127L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Arrivée de Kachtcheï l’Immortel – Son dialogue avec Ivan Tsarévitch – Intercession des princesses3:2728L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, L’Oiseau de feu0:3329L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Danse de la suite de Kachtcheï0:4630L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Danse infernale de tous les sujets de Kachtcheï4:3831L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Berceuse3:0332L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 1, Réveil de Kachtcheï – Mort de Kachtcheï – Profondes ténèbres2:4633L'Oiseau de feu: Tableau 2, Disparition du palais et des sortilèges de Kachtcheï, animation des chevaliers pétrifiés, allégresse générale3:26Stravinsky: Petrushka - Debussy: Jeux / Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
2024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:04:25
1Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): Ia. The Shrovetide Fair – The Crowds – The Conjuring-Trick7:362Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): Ib. Russian Dance2:463Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): II. Petrushka's Room4:204Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IIIa. The Moor's Room – IIIb. Dance of the Ballerina3:355Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IIIc. Waltz. The Ballerina and the Moor3:176Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVa. The Shrovetide Fair (Evening)1:147Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVb. Dance of the Wet-Nurses2:368Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVc. Dance of the Peasant and the Bear1:379Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVd. The Jovial Merchant with 2 Gypsy Girls1:1210Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVe. Dance of the Coachmen and the Grooms2:0311Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVf. The Masqueraders1:3412Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVg. The Scuffle0:5213Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVh. Death of Petrushka0:5714Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVi. The Police and the Charlatan1:2215Petrushka, K012 (1947 Version): IVj. Apparition of Petrushka's Ghost1:0116Jeux, Poème dansé, CD 13317:3917Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, CD 87a10:44Sibelius: Violin Concerto / Prokofiev: Violin Concerto no. 1
2024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 55:05
1Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47: I. Allegro moderato16:282Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47: II. Adagio di molto9:083Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47: III. Allegro, ma non tanto7:254Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major, op. 19: I. Andantino9:515Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major, op. 19: II. Scherzo. Vivacissimo3:546Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major, op. 19: III. Moderato – Allegro moderato8:192024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 2:25:06
Disc 11Symphony no. 4 in C minor, op. 43: I. Allegretto poco moderato –16:112Symphony no. 4 in C minor, op. 43: I. Presto12:353Symphony no. 4 in C minor, op. 43: II. Moderato con moto9:034Symphony no. 4 in C minor, op. 43: III. Largo –6:505Symphony no. 4 in C minor, op. 43: III. Allegro22:20Disc 21Symphony no. 5 in D minor, op. 47: I. Moderato – Allegro non troppo – Poco sostenuto – Largamente – Più mosso – Moderato15:542Symphony no. 5 in D minor, op. 47: II. Allegretto – Largamente – Poco più mosso5:203Symphony no. 5 in D minor, op. 47: III. Largo13:574Symphony no. 5 in D minor, op. 47: IV. Allegro non troppo – Allegro – Più mosso11:365Symphony no. 6 in B minor, op. 54: I. Largo18:536Symphony no. 6 in B minor, op. 54: II. Allegro5:437Symphony no. 6 in B minor, op. 54: III. Presto6:44Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique - Ravel: La valse
2025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:08:14
1Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: I. Rêveries – Passions14:562Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: II. Un bal. Valse6:423Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: III. Scène aux champs17:004Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: IV. Marche au supplice6:495Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: V. Songe d'une nuit de sabbat9:576La valse, M. 7212:50
Broadcast · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2018-10-11: Harpa, Reykjavík, IcelandSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 2:20:241Bernstein: Overture to Candide / Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto / Shostakovich: Symphony no. 102:20:24 | 11 October 2018 |
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Symphony no. 8Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 21 tracks · 1:19:111Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: I. Veni, creator spiritus1:25 2Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: II. Imple superna gratia3:42 3Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: III. Infirma nostri corporis I – IV. Tempo I. Allegro, etwas hastig3:58 4Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: V. Infirma nostri corporis II3:00 5Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: VI. Accende lumen sensibus5:29 6Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: VII. Qui Paraclitus diceris2:49 7Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 1: VIII. Gloria sit Patri Domino3:09 8Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: I. Poco adagio6:20 9Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: II. Più mosso. Allegro moderato3:16 10Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: III. Waldung, sie schwankt heran4:14 11Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: IV. Ewiger Wonnebrand1:30 12Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: V. Wie Felsenabgrund mir zu Füssen4:22 13Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: VI. Gerettet ist das edle Glied0:57 14Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: VII. Jene Rosen, aus den Händen2:07 15Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: VIII. Uns bleibt ein Erdenrest1:51 16Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: IX. Ich spür’ soeben – X. Höchste Herrscherin der Welt5:32 17Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: XI. Dir, der Unberührbaren3:29 18Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: XII. Bei der Liebe, die den Fussen – XIII. Neige, neige, du Ohnegleiche5:57 19Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: XIV. Er überwächst uns schon – XVa. Komm! hebe dich zu höhern Sphären4:21 20Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: XVb. Blicket auf zum Retterblick6:07 21Symphony no. 8 in E‐flat major “Symphony of a Thousand”, Pt. 2: XVI. Alles Vergängliche5:36 | Live | 7 November 2025 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Klaus Mäkelä head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 19 | 79.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | 7 | 21th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KlausMakela2022.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65cf8e6f-b7db-43ef-8cc5-0f5ffd5c350fdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65cf8e6f-b7db-43ef-8cc5-0f5ffd5c350fcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q50806463genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q50806463seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_M%C3%A4kel%C3%A4biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_M%C3%A4kel%C3%A4
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Finnish musicians — rank #40
Klaus Mäkelä | 1996 | | Conductor, cellist | Classical
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Clevnax · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q50806463 · MusicBrainz: 65cf8e6f-b7db-43ef-8cc5-0f5ffd5c350f
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