Signing
Signing my first Music Director contract with Mr. Isomöttönen

It's been pretty quiet here on my blog for the past month, but I have been really busy with concerts, and I also have had to hold my tongue not to give out the big news too early. But the fact is, a few weeks back, after my concerts in Turku, I signed my first Music Director contract with the General Manager of St Michel Strings chamber orchestra (which I have conducted many times before, and even featured them on this blog). I had to keep the news to myself until I returned to Finland for the next time and could take part in a press conference where we would break the news to Finnish media. The press conference was held today and I must say everyone was quite happy about the splash we could make in the Finnish news!

But, returning to the photo above, you probably can imagine how great a feeling it was to see my name on that paper and realize that after five years of assistantships I will finally be in charge of my own orchestra, plan complete seasons instead of isolated concerts, and focus on developing a group or players in the long term instead of doing whatever I can in the one, two or three rehearsals I'm granted as a guest conductor. This is one of my dreams come true and I am really looking forward to my first concert as Music Director of St Michel Strings!

In the meantime, you can expect a bit more frequent updates on this blog. Thanks for your patience!