Bio
Mikael Loponen (b. 2003) continues the exceptional success story of Finnish conducting as a future name, whose strong musicality comes across confidently from the podium.
Loponen began his orchestral conducting studies in 2018 under the legendary Jorma Panula, and continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy under Professor Sakari Oramo and Susanna Mälkki. He has also participated in master classes, with Johannes Schlaefli, Dima Slobodeniouk and Antony Hermus, among others.
As a conductor, Mikael Loponen has worked with several important orchestras in Finland and abroad, such as Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Sonderjyllands symfoniorkester, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Joensuu City Orchestra and Jyväskylä Sinfonia. He also served as assistant conductor to Sakari Oramo atthe Savonlinna Opera Festival 2023 and was elected as a participant in the Nordic Conductors’ Forum (Nordisk Dirigentforum) 2024–25. In 2023 he was Young Artist of the Year at the Joensuu Music Festival.
Mikael Loponen is also a skilled pianist, keeping up that career besides conducting. He won 1st prize in the Leevi Madetoja Piano Competition 2022 and 3rd prize in the International Hans von Bülow Piano Competition in May 2023 (in the category ”Conducting from the piano”). Loponen studied with the Youth Piano Academy Finland 2015–2022 and is currently studying piano at the Sibelius Academy under the guidance of Antti Hotti and Henri Sigfridsson.
Apollo Artists represents Mikael as conductor and pianist both in Finland and in Europe.
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