April 03, 2025
New Release: “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” Available Now
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor Karina Canellakis continue their Bartók journey with the composer’s only opera, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, starring mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham (Judith) and bass- baritone Gábor Bretz (Bluebeard). One man, one woman, and a dark castle with seven mysterious doors are all it takes to create a psychological thriller full of suspense and intense emotion. Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra received a Grammy nomination for their recording of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and 4 Orchestral Pieces, which BBC Music Magazine praised as “enticing and brilliantly engineered”, while Gramophone lauded how orchestra and conductor “paint the soundscapes with both finesse and fire.” For Canellakis, Bartók’s opera recorded here is “an homage to life itself, to life’.
April 03, 2025
Karina Canellakis Extends Tenure with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra through to August 2031
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor, Karina Canellakis, are delighted to announce the continuation of their successful collaboration. Canellakis, who has held the position since September 2019, will remain with the orchestra, reaffirming the strength of their artistic partnership.
Under her baton, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra has delivered a series of remarkable performances at the AVROTROS Vrijdagconcert and the NTR ZaterdagMatinee. Highlights include the Dutch premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Arche, a full cycle of Leoš Janáček’s operas, In Unison by Joey Roukens with pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen, and numerous Dutch and world premieres.
The news of Canellakis’ contract extension coincides with the release of Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, the orchestra’s latest album. The recording showcases the deep musical connection between conductor and orchestra, reaffirming their shared mastery of modern and expressionist repertoire. Their previous album—Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Four Orchestral Pieces —earned a GRAMMY nomination in 2024.
Since her appointment, Canellakis has distinguished herself with her energetic, expressive, and precise conducting style. Her artistic vision aligns seamlessly with the versatility and adaptability that define the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, especially in its collaborations with the Netherlands Radio Choir. With a passion for new music, grand symphonic works, and vocal repertoire, she continues to captivate audiences both in the Netherlands and internationally.
The Dutch press has been unanimous in its praise. Trouw hailed her performances as “an unparalleled five-star experience,” while de Volkskrant lauded her “subtle balance between power and finesse.” NRC described her interpretation of Mahler’s First Symphony with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra as “thrilling in its crescendos and compelling in its timing, resulting in an overwhelming musical experience.”
Canellakis herself is thrilled to continue her work with the orchestra: “I am incredibly proud of how beautifully this orchestra plays and excited about the way we continue to deepen our musical journey with passion and dedication. There are some thrilling projects on the horizon, and I look forward to the next chapter of this wonderful collaboration.”
Simone Meijer, director of the Stichting Omroep Muziek, echoed this enthusiasm: “We are delighted to continue this successful partnership. Canellakis is a conductor who embraces artistic adventure, making her a perfect match for our ambition—to bring world-class live music to everyone.”
March 18, 2025
Karina Canellakis conducts Janáček’s from a House of the Dead at Concertgebouw
On March 22, Karina Canellakis conducts the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest in Leoš Janáček’s final opera, From a House of the Dead, at The Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam. This performance marks the conclusion of her multi-year Janáček opera cycle, following The Cunning Little Vixen, Kat'a Kabanova, and The Makropulos Affair.
Janáček’s score shifts between jagged rhythmic energy and poignant lyricism, with unsettling percussion—including the sound of prisoners' chains—contrasting moments of unexpected beauty. The opera, left incomplete at the composer’s death in 1928, remains one of his most intense and gripping works.
This concert is part of the NTR ZaterdagMatinee series and will be broadcast live on NPO Klassiek.
February 24, 2025
Highly Praised Return to the New York Philharmonic
Karina Canellakis returned to the New York Philharmonic for three concerts in February. The program featured Saariaho "Lumière et pesanteur", Berg Violin Concerto with soloist Veronika Eberle, Messiaen "Les Offrandes oubliées" and Debussy "La Mer".
Zachary Woolfe writes about the first night's concert in the New York Times:
"The players didn’t seem like they wanted these moments to end as soon as possible; they reveled in them. That attests, of course, to the musicians themselves — and, perhaps, to their continued acclimation to the renovated Geffen Hall, in which even the most fragile sounds register clearly.
But it also speaks to Canellakis’s leadership on the podium. Throughout the concert, she elicited playing of poise and patience, inspiring the ensemble to relax into phrases — which gave the music more organic energy than pressing relentlessly forward would have.
For all the bits of breathtaking stillness in the performance, there were also forceful climaxes, but Canellakis arrived at them with naturalness. At the end of the first section of “La Mer,” the volume swiftly swells from pianissimo to fortissimo. While some performances land flat on the loudness, she drew out the speed ever so slightly, making the rise in dynamics feel like a thrilling wave rather than an abrupt boom."
Photo: Chris Lee
December 18, 2024
Karina Conducts the Televised New Year’s Eve Concert of Staatskapelle Dresden
Karina Canellakis will conduct the Staatskapelle Dresden in their annual New Year's Eve concert at the Semperoper on December 29 and 30, 2024. The program will feature pieces by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner, and Cole Porter. Karina will be joined on stage by soloists Fatma Said (soprano), Jonah Hoskins (tenor), and pianist Kirill Gerstein.
The concert will be broadcast German wide on ZDF, starting at 10:15 PM on December 29, 2024
Photo: Semperoper Dresden/Klaus Gigga
December 11, 2024
Karina’s NY Phil debut included in New York Times’ “Best Classical Performances of 2024”
Karina's debut performance with the New York Philharmonic this past April has been named one of the New York Times' "Best Classical Performances of 2024." The review praised her for leading "delicate Webern and indelicate Scriabin alike with mastery." The article also highlights her concert at the Wiener Musikverein with the Vienna Symphony.
Photo: Erin Baiano
December 02, 2024
Karina Returns to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites
Karina makes her return to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, where she conducted Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in 2021.
In December, she returns for Francis Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites with performances on December 4, 8, 10, and 12, 2024, with the renowned Les Siècles Orchestra and the Chœur Unikanti.
October 21, 2024
Praised Debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orkest
"The acquaintance between Canellakis and the Concertgebouw Orchestra sounded like an adventure that deserves a sequel," wrote the Dutch newspaper NRC after Karina's long-awaited debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra last week. She led the orchestra in a captivating program featuring Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with soloist Augustin Hadelich, selections from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, and Scriabin’s Le Poème de l’extase in four performances at the Concertgebouw.
Photo: Milagro Elstak
September 11, 2024
Season Highlights 2024-25
As Chief Conductor of the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Karina kicks of her season with concerts in Utrecht and Amsterdam this week. Symphonic highlights of the 2024-25 season with the RFO include Mahler’s Third Symphony, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. With the London Philharmonic, she has programmed a broad repertoire from Mozart to Saariaho, and continues to tour once a year with the orchestra.
Guest engagements this season include debuts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as well as Staatskapelle Dresden (in the famed, televised New Year’s Eve concert), along with return visits to the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Washington DC’s National Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre de Paris.
July 16, 2024
Karina to Conduct Her First “Der Rosenkavalier” at Santa Fe Opera
This summer Karina will lead five performances of Richard Strauss's beloved opera "Der Rosenkavalier" at the prestigious Santa Fe Opera. Scheduled for July 20 and 24, and August 2, 8, and 15, 2024, this marks Canellakis’ first time conducting the celebrated work, further cementing her reputation as a distinguished interpreter of Strauss’s music.
Joining Canellakis is a stellar cast, featuring Rachel Willis Sorensen as the Marschallin, Paula Murrihy as Octavian, Ying Fang as Sophie, and Matthew Rose as Baron Ochs. The production, directed by Bruno Ravella, promises to be a feast for both the eyes and ears, blending tradition with fresh, dynamic interpretations.