The hidden hand: Jorma Panula

Jorma Panula

Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts Orchestre de Paris

Jorma Panula with the Helsinki Philharmonic in 1965

Eva Ollikainen

Jorma Panula conducts a protest outside the Finnish Parliament against a musical instrument tax

Jorma Panula rehearses with soprano Anita Välkki in 1965

By Alexander Hall, 28 March 2023

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“Speak as little as possible because orchestras hate it when you do”

Mark Pullinger, 7th April

The Hong Kong-born conductor talks about her entry into music, her love of big Russian repertoire, her “Cinderella moment” winning the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition and her ambition to “go against the grind”.

Opera in the blood: Speranza Scappucci

Mark Pullinger, 17th March

The Royal Opera’s Principal Guest Conductor explains her passion for opera, her journey into the pit and how good conductors share the attributes of football managers.

The world over: Bachtrack’s Classical Music Statistics 2025

Bachtrack, 28th January

How is the classical music world changing? Looking back on a dizzying year, we pay particular attention to performers’ international connectedness. Documenting more than 30,000 events, Bachtrack’s statistics provide valuable insight into an unstable world.

Ben Glassberg on depression and a journey back to music

Elisabeth Schwarz, 16th January

Elisabeth Schwarz sits down with the British conductor to talk about his history of mental illness, his coming out and his journey back to the joy of music.

Nathalie Stutzmann joins Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo

Bachtrack, 11th December

French conductor Nathalie Stutzmann will be the first woman to hold the position of Artistic and Music Director of Monaco’s orchestra in its 170-year history.

Houston Grand Opera names James Gaffigan as next Music Director

Bachtrack, 6th November

The American conductor will take on his first Music Director role at an American institution from the start of the 2027–28 season.

Alexander Hall

Alexander Hall divides his time between London and Hamburg, where he had a career in academic administration and teaching. He reviews for Bachtrack and Opera Today, and has also reviewed for Classical Source. A connoisseur of the great orchestras of the world, his musical memories stretch back to Karajan/Berlin Phil, Mravinsky/Leningrad Phil, Bernstein/Vienna Phil, and he has seen most of the great conductors from the past, including Böhm, Klemperer, Kubelik, Ormandy and Szell.

The hidden hand: Jorma Panula’s role in nurturing conducting talent