”The orchestra happily follows his every gesture” (Vesa Siren, Helsingin Sanomat)

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Aku Sorensen (b. 1997) is a Finnish-American conductor, born in California but based in Finland for the last ten years. A sought-after guest conductor, his burgeoning career has seen him as a regular guest of orchestras throughout Finland, including the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Pori Sinfonietta, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, and others. In 2022, Sorensen was named the 20th principal conductor of the famed Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat and has served in that post ever since.

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Sorensen has a keen interest in programming and curation, with a specific focus on integrating lesser played and contemporary repertoire into concept programs. He has conducted numerous Finnish, European, and World premieres of repertoire both of our time and found forgotten in the archives.

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Nowhere is Aku’s interest in programming so obvious than at the festival “The Sounds of Luosto”, which he has served as artistic director of since 2019. Tied together with a tight theme and strong concept concerts, a weekend of music set on a fell in Finnish Lapland sets contemporary music with well-known classics, forgotten names with household ones. The programming has proven popular, with an increasingly international audience, and Finnish composer Kalevi Aho has said the festival “has an attraction much in the way of the Savonlinna Opera Festival or the Salzburg Festival.”

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A strong believer in audience and youth music education, Sorensen has conducted a number of youth ensembles, including the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra in California and the Western-Helsinki Music Institute Chamber Orchestra. He has also participated in a number of experimental outreach programs, including serving as the conductor of the “Kuule Minä Sävellän” scheme in 2020, which provides young people the opportunity to compose and have their pieces premiered by professional ensembles.

 

Sorensen completed his master’s degree in conducting at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts, Helsinki under the tutelage of professor Sakari Oramo. He has also received tuition from conductors such as Jorma Panula, Paavo Järvi, Hannu Lintu, Johannes Schlaefli, Sir Roger Norrington, Peter Eötvös, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. 

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A former professional violinist, Aku is accomplished orchestral player and chamber player, having led and played in such ensembles as the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, Vaasa City Orchestra, Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, and Sibelius Academy Chamber Orchestra. Sorensen is also a founding member of the Helsinki Chamber Orchestra, and served as the ensembles original concertmaster.

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Aku holds a Bachelor of Music from the Sibelius Academy in violin performance, completed under the guidance of Merit Palas.