The Orchestra of Sibelius

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s popular “Learn how to listen to classical music!” online material has been expanded with a new section in honour of the 160th anniversary of the birth of Jean Sibelius. 

Titled “The Orchestra of Sibelius”, the new online content can be found on the HPO website at https://helsinginkaupunginorkesteri.fi/en/content/orchestra-sibelius. 

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra played a central role in the musical journey of Jean Sibelius as a composer: the orchestra premiered almost all the symphonic works as conducted by the composer himself. The HPO has performed his works hundreds of times, both in Finland and abroad, most recently on a tour of Central Europe in November 2025 under the direction of our chief conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

The new online material, “The Orchestra of Sibelius”, examines the composer’s music through history, styles, the orchestra, form and meaning. The content follows the structure of our Learn how to listen to classical music! material, and its texts and content focus on the music of Sibelius.

“We are happy to celebrate this day by offering our audiences the opportunity to explore the music of Sibelius in greater depth and perhaps find new perspectives on it. The material also includes audio clips from our Sibelius & Saraste series,” says Annika Kukkonen, Head of Education and Outreach at the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

The texts for online material have been written by conductor and composer Satu Simola. In addition to the text content, the online material includes many audio clips and images. The online material has been published in Finnish and will be translated also into Swedish and English.

Photo: Aarne Pietinen Oy, Fazer Archives – pictured is Tauno Hannikainen, Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, with Jean Sibelius at Ainola in 1952.

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