Helsinki Gives Lilja Haatainen a Longer Musical Horizon

A young soloist’s visit to an orchestra often lasts little more than a rehearsal period and a concert. Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra is planning something more sustained for 15-year-old violinist Lilja Haatainen, one of the first participants in its new emerging-artists programme.

The partnership begins in autumn 2027 and will span several seasons. Haatainen will perform concertos with the orchestra and chamber music with its players, allowing her relationship with the ensemble to develop in more than one setting. She has described the appointment as covering the next three seasons.

Conductor and pianist Maximilian Fagerlund is the programme’s other inaugural participant. Known in Finnish as Noste, the initiative combines artistic activity with mentoring and closer involvement in the orchestra’s professional community, both on and away from the concert platform.

Born in 2011, Haatainen began violin lessons at three and studied at Oulu Conservatory until 2022. Her training has included work with Janne Malmivaara and participation in the Finnish Violin Academy. She has already appeared with the Helsinki Philharmonic under Manfred Honeck, so the new appointment develops an existing musical connection.

Her 2026–27 plans include debuts with the Antwerp and Munich Symphony Orchestras and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. The Helsinki partnership adds continuity to that expanding schedule, creating opportunities to return to familiar musicians rather than meeting a new ensemble at every engagement.

Fagerlund, born in 2006, combines conducting and piano studies and has also appeared with the orchestra. Together, the appointments give the programme two different artistic starting points. Its value will lie in the work between headline appearances: rehearsing, listening, playing chamber music and learning how an orchestra functions as a community over time.