Karina Canellakis is the Chief Conductor of the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest since 2019, and the Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021. Universally acclaimed for her symphonic and operatic performances characterized by their emotional impact, interpretive depth, and technical command, Karina is welcomed by the finest musical institutions across the globe. As Chief Conductor of the RFO, she programs and leads a diverse and eclectic season of new and commissioned works by living composers alongside the great masterworks in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw as well as in TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. Highlights of the 25-26 season include her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at Mozartwoche Salzburg in January, a seven-city European tour with the London Philharmonic and Anne-Sophie Mutter in February, and her debut with Staatsoper Hamburg in April/May in a production of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle and Zemlinsky's A Florentine Tragedy directed by the company's new intendant, Tobias Kratzer.
April 2023 saw the start of a multi-album collaboration between Karina, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Pentatone with their debut release, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Four Orchestral Pieces, earning a GRAMMY nomination. Her second album for Pentatone, Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle, has been released in April 2025. Karina and the RFO were also featured artists for the launch of Apple Music Classical with a recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No1 with Alice Sara Ott.
