Praised for his intense and dynamic performances, Osmo Vänskä is recognized for compelling interpretations of the standard, contemporary and Nordic repertoires, as well as the close rapport he establishes with the musicians he leads. In 2003 Vänskä became the tenth Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, and has since drawn extraordinary reviews for concerts both at home and abroad, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, performances in communities around Minnesota, and two European tours of major festivals and European music capitals. In 2009 Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra returned to Europe for concerts at venues including the Cologne and Berlin Philharmonie, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Vienna Musikverein and the Barbican in London. Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra have completed a five-year, five-disc project to record the complete Beethoven symphonies for BIS, which received rave reviews.

Vänskä was Music Director of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra from 1988, and is now holding the position of Conductor Laureate. During two decades at the helm of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Vänskä transformed the regional ensemble into one of Finland’s flagship orchestras. Under his leadership, the Lahti Symphony has received international attention through its collection of innovative Sibelius recordings and its international performances in London, Birmingham and New York.

As a guest conductor, Vänskä has appeared with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as the major symphony orchestras of Dallas, Detroit, Houston, San Francisco and St Louis. In Europe, he has led such eminent orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, London’s BBC Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Vänskä began his music career as a clarinettist. He held the co-principal chair of the Helsinki Philharmonic (1977–82) and the principal chair of the Turku Philharmonic (1971–6). Following conducting studies under Jorma Panula at Finland’s Sibelius Academy, Vänskä was awarded first prize in the 1982 Besançon International Young Conductor’s Competition.