In Amsterdam, Klaus Mäkelä is best known as the future chief conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra—starting in 2027—but he is also a highly accomplished cellist. The Finn studied orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under Jorma Panula and cello under Marko Ylönen, Timo Hanhinen, and Hannu Kiiski. He has been chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020 and music director of the Orchestre de Paris since 2021.
As a cellist, he occasionally performs with members of the Oslo Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra; he also performs chamber music every summer at the Verbier Festival.
