Chief Conductor

Matthew Halls

The British conductor Matthew Halls was appointed as the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022, and he will continue in his position until the summer of 2027. Halls’ contract includes concerts, recordings, and other special projects, as well as the artistic planning and development of the orchestra.

He is the twelfth chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, and the third foreign one.

In the beginning of his term, Matthew said the exceptional musicianship, inspiring work ethic and energizing spirit of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s musicians have captivated him from the first minutes of rehearsals together. He has also said to be proud to be a chief conductor in a city, where culture and the arts are truly valued.

After two years in his position in Tampere, he says:
– It has been a pleasure collaborating with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra musicians these last two years. Among other things, we’ve worked to develop a playing style well-suited to baroque, classical and early romantic music, and personal highlights include our Beethoven project with pianist Paul Lewis and ongoing Brahms cycle. The contact extension to 2027 allows to further explore new repertoire together, as well as completing the Sibelius cycle which began with the Fifth Symphony in my very first concert as the chief conductor.

Matthew’s vibrant and diverse programme planning has been widely praised, and his international connections have brought exceptional guest artists to perform for Tampere audiences. Both Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor have attracted an impressive number of enthusiastic listeners.

Outside of Tampere, Matthew enjoys an international career which sees him regularly guest-conduct Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. Forthcoming highlights include returns to Vienna Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, SWR Symphony Orchestra and Tonkünstler Orchestra at the Musikverein in Vienna. He also continues to support young talent through his ongoing work with the Norwegian Conductors’ Program Dirigetløftet and its associated Nordic orchestras.

With a background in period-performance, Matthew was one of the first to guest-conduct Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s Concentus Musicus Wien. His discography includes Bach’s Harpsichord Concertos, the premiere recording of Handel’s Parnasso in Festa and Bach’s Easter and Ascension Oratorios.

Matthew Halls is represented by Askonas Holt.