Tarmo Peltokoski

Love at first beat

His extraordinary musical talent was clear from The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s very first musical encounter with the young Finn Tarmo Peltokoski, born in 2000. The joint story began with the orchestra’s search for promising young talent. »We took advantage of the exceptional pandemic situation to do unusual things, such as giving a 21-year-old young artist the opportunity to introduce himself as a conductor«, said Albert Schmitt, the orchestra’s Managing Director. The result not only overwhelmed the orchestra and the audience, but also chief conductor and mentor Paavo Järvi shares the enthusiasm for the orchestra’s first ›Principal Guest Conductor‹: »I am impressed by his talent and am looking forward to a lively exchange with him in the coming years«.

Musical instinct

The first Principal Guest Conductor

Tarmo Peltokoski is an exceptional all-rounder. He took up his craft at the age of 14 at the Sibelius Academy and also learned with Hannu Lintu, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He additionally studied composition, arranging and piano and has performed as a soloist with all the major Finnish orchestras.

At just 21 years of age, The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie invited him to give his acclaimed German debut performance as a conductor leading the orchestra at Bremen’s Die Glocke concert hall. There followed many more joint musical collaborations, including performances at major festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Beethovenfest Bonn and a series of other concerts, for example in Bremen, Cologne or Hamburg. After being appointed ›Principal Guest Conductor‹ in 2022, Tarmo Peltokoski conducted the concerts at the orchestra’s own festival ›Summer in Lesmona‹. The young conductor has also impressed across the board in numerous debuts with other renowned international ensembles. Describing Tarmo Peltokoski, the Tagespiegel called him »a talent of the century«.

In October 2023, Tarmo Peltokoski was awarded the Opus Klassik for his recordings with The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Of the orchestra, he says: »This orchestra is different in every respect from all other orchestras. The greatest moments of music making I have experienced with them«