History of the Orchestra in Finland

Academic Orchestra (Akateeminen Kapelli) of the Royal Academy of Turku (Turun Akatemia) is considered to have been the first active orchestra in Finland. It was formed after King Frederick I of Sweden established the office of academic music director, highlighting the importance of an established academic orchestra in doing so. The first person to be appointed academic music director was the organist of the Turku Cathedral, the Swedish-born Carl Petter Lenning (1711-1788). Initially the Academic Orchestra comprised mostly strings, and flutes and oboes, played by some 15 students of the Academy. After the destruction of Turku in a fire in 1827 and the resulting transfer of the Academy to Helsinki, the Orchestra followed suit. The Orchestra remained active until 1926, when it was succeeded by Yliopiston Soittajat. Turku also gained its own successor in the form of Akademiska Orkestern vid Åbo Akademi (founded 1928).

In 1860 a new theater building (Nya Teatern) finished construction in Helsinki, alongside which a professional theater orchestra was formed. In 1882, The Helsinki Orchestra Association was established, alongside its own orchestra (the present-day Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra), on the initiative of Robert Kajanus. Other Finnish cities followed suit in the 20^th century by establishing their own orchestras. Following the establishment of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yleisradio) in 1926, a radio symphony orchestra was established for it, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Radion sinfoniaorkesteri), in 1927. Today, there are a total of 15 active symphony orchestras across the country. Finnish orchestras have their own association, Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras currently featuring 33 orchestras as members.