For as long as he can remember, conductor Kaapo Ijas (b. 1988) has had an insatiable passion for music. Ijas’s diverse musical background shines through in the sheer breadth of his musical interests and the richness of ideas in the many concerts and productions he conducts. He has a particular affinity for the dramatic scope of opera, the seamless union of music and theatre, and the sense of community unique to large-scale productions. In addition to playing and composing, Ijas has always been interested in performance and stage arts too, and he thrives on the magic that group dynamics can bring about – in his own words, “the shared act of breathing art and music”.

Ijas has made successful debuts with many world-class orchestras including the Finnish Radio Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Turku Philharmonic, and Polish National Radio SO (NOSPR). This season Ijas will return to Finnish Radio Symphony and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and conduct his debut with Ostrobothian Chamber Orchestra.