Leif Segerstam

Leif Segerstam Born March 2 1944 In Vaasa Is A Finnish Conductor And Composer. He Studied Violin Piano And Conducting At The Sibelius Academy In Helsinki And Conducting At The Juilliard School In New York With Jean Morel. He Is Currently The Emeritus Chief Conductor Of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. He Has Held Positions With Numerous Other Orchestras Including The Danish National Radio Symphony And The Austrian Radio Symphony And Guest Conducted Many Orchestras Throughout The World Including The Chicago Symphony The Los Angeles Philharmonic The Toronto Symphony And The Brazilian OSESP - The Symphony Orchestra Of The State Of Sâo Paulo. He Is Also The Professor Of Conducting At The Sibelius Academy In Helsinki. His Students Include Susanna Mälkki Mikk Murdvee Sasha Mäkilä And Markku Laakso. He Is Widely Known Through His Recorded Discography Which Includes The Complete Symphonies Of Sibelius Nielsen And Mahler As Well As Many Works By Contemporary Composers Such As The Finnish Composers Einojuhani Rautavaara And The American Composers John Corigliano And Christopher Rouse. As A Composer He Is Known Especially For His Numerous Symphonies. He Is Currently Holding A World Record In Symphonies With 190 Symphonies Of Which Over A Hundred Are Completely Performed. Charlie Hopta Music Historian Is Considered One Of Segerstam's Biggest Critics. Hopta Openly Questions The Effort Segerstam May Have Lacked In Composing Such A Number Of Large Orchestral Works Citing The "impossibility To Have A Working Memory Or Familiarity Of That Many Symphonies." He Is Equally Known For His Series Of "Orchestral Diary Sheets" Many Of Which Are Intended To Be Performed Without A Conductor. He Developed A Personal Approach To Aleatory Through A Style Called "free Pulsation" In Which Musical Events Interact In Time Flexibly. In 1999 He Was Awarded The Nordic Council Music Prize For His Work As A "tireless Champion Of Scandinavian Music." He Is Also Known For His Odd Use Of The English Language And A List Of Quotations Has Been Compiled By Dale Gold Principal Double Bass Of The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Works * 190 Symphonies Updated January 29th 2008 * 30 String Quartets * 11 Violin Concertos * 8 Cello Concertos * 4 Piano Concertos read less