Jan Söderblom (FI)

JAN SÖDERBLOM is a solo, chamber musician and orchestral leader with a dynamic background, characterized by an insatiable spirit of discovery. He began playing the violin at a very early age. Growing up during a flourishing period in Finnish music, he studied with teachers like G. Szilvay and A. Angervo. His interest in international collaboration led him to further studies with E. Wolf, the Amadeus Quartet, S. Végh, and D. Takeno.

He continued performing as a solo artist, collaborating with orchestras such as the Swedish and Norwegian Radio Orchestras, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. While mainly dedicated to chamber music, he was a founding member of the New Helsinki Quartet, with which he won numerous competitions and performed in prestigious European venues. It was evident that conducting played an essential role in Söderblom's professional identity from an early stage, as this was one of his ambitions.

While shaping his career as a soloist and chamber musician, he enrolled in the esteemed conducting class at the Sibelius Academy (instructors J. Panula and L. Segerstam). This led him to further develop his already dual career path, bringing him into collaboration with all the major Finnish orchestras, as well as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orquesta RTVE, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, MDR Symphony Orchestra (Leipzig), Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Norrköping and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestras, and Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine.

In opera Söderblom has collaborated with the Royal Swedish Opera, Norrlandsoperan, and the Finnish National Opera. He has conducted premieres of works such as T. Jennefelt's “Sport och fritid”, D. Börtz's “Svall”, and V.-M. Puumala's “Anna Liisa”, which received high praise and earned the Gramophone Editor's Choice Award after recording with Ondine.

Currently, Söderblom serves as the artistic director of the Finnish Chamber Orchestra (since 2021), the Tammisaari Summer Concerts, and the Grankulla Musikfest. He previously held the position of chief conductor with Pori Sinfonietta (2012-2016) and artistic director of Lappeenranta City Orchestra (2002-2009), and 'Music by the Sea' festival.

Söderblom is a frequent guest conductor with major Finnish orchestras, including Helsinki and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestras, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Tapiola Sinfonietta. Additionally, he holds the position of first concertmaster with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (since 2014) and appears as a guest concertmaster and leader with several Scandinavian orchestras.