Maria Itkonen
Conductor
Biography
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GENERAL MANAGEMENT​
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Finnish conductor Maria Itkonen has conducted several orchestras and ensembles including Tampere Filharmonic Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Vaasa City Orchestra, Joensuu City Orchestra, VästeraÌŠs Sinfonietta and Kammarensemble. She has worked as an assistant conductor in Tampere Opera, Norrlandsoperan, Jyväskylä Opera and premiered a great number of contemporary works with the Finnish Tampere Raw ensemble.
In 2022 she celebrated her debuts with both Oulu and Kuopio Symphony Orchestras and assisted Klaus Mäkelä at the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming projects still for 2023 include the opera Fallet Makropulos by Leos Janacek with the Malmö Opera as well as concerts with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and the Lappeenranta Kaupunginorkesteri.
Maria has studied conducting at Panula- Academy with professor Jorma Panula, and is currently finishing her master studies at the Royal College of Music Stockholm with professor B. Tommy Andersson. She has taken part on master classes at The Royal Opera House London and Jukka- Pekka Saraste’s LEAD!- Academy.
Itkonen has been regularly working as a guest concertmaster in leading European orchestras such as WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Lucern Symphony Orchestra and Turku Filharmonic Orchestra. She has held a permanent concertmaster position in Kuopio Symphony Orchestra and Tampere Filharmonic Orchestra.
She was born in Joutseno Finland, and started her music studies at the age of 6. Itkonen has studied violin in Sibelius Academy, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien and Amsterdam Conservatory.
