“Ruut Kiiski has an inherent skill for
supporting singers and listening to their breath."
- Hannu-Ilari Lampila, Helsingin sanomat
Ruut Kiiski (b. 1984) has worked with leading orchestras including, among others, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinborg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire.
Ruut is particularly devoted to the hectic world of opera – both traditional and contemporary. Ruut's interest to works by women composers has led her to conduct many premières. In 2017, she led the première of Pauliina Isomäki’s oratorio Vuorisaarna (“Sermon on the Mount”) with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in their performance of the exceptional radio opera Queen of the Cold Land by Riikka Talvitie. Ruut has wanted to help bring up forgotten works of women composers, such as Germaine Tailleferre, Elfrida Andrée and Ethel Smyth. Her autumn 2024 began at the helm of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. She conducted an inspiring and well received production of The Lord of the Rings in collaboration with Tampere Theatre. Music for the play was composed by Tuomas Kantelinen. After the year 2023 Ruut has debuted in many Finnish orchestras and during the spring 2025 she will work amond others with the Pori Sinfonietta. Ruut has conducted opera in Norrlandsoperan, Jyväskylä Opera, Turku Music Festival, Läckö Opera Festival, Metropolia School of Music and in Rovaniemi, where she assisted John Storgårds in opera production of Karvalakkiooppera (2022) by Tapio Tuomela. Ruut is also the artistic director of the Tampere Philharmonic Choir. |
Ruut graduated in 2015 from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where she studied conducting with Professor B. Tommy Andersson and Daniel Harding. Before her time in Stockholm, Ruut completed her Master’s studies at the Sibelius Academy, completing diplomas in both choral conducting (2011) and church music (2008). Ruut has further developed her technique by attending international masterclasses with leading maestros including Valery Gergiev (Turku, 2016) and Herbert Blomstedt (Stockholm, 2015), where she led the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
"Kapellimestari Ruut Kiiski teki vaikutuksen ilmavalla mutta tarkalla, dynaamista skaalaa laventavalla otteellaan, jota Jyväskylä Sinfonia vaivatta seurasi. Tervetuloa uudelleen.”
- Keskisuomalainen, Jari Hoffrén 9/2021 |