Developing the Next Generation of Leaders in Classical Music

The LEAD! Foundation, directed by leading Finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, supports the next generation of emerging conductors, orchestra principals, and composers.

LEAD! Foundation was established by Sarah Osa, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Frances Maunder in 2017. It became a Finnish foundation in 2019. Its mission is holistic, providing not only technical and musical instruction through the LEAD! Labs, but also active mentoring and frank advice to help artists confidently navigate the competitive classical music industry.

Based in Finland and active internationally, it hosts the Fiskars Summer Festival - the platform for its annual conductors' masterclass, career workshops, and industry discussions - along with a mentorship programme and the biannual Fiskars Easter Sessions.

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✨ We are excited to announce that Dima Slobodeniouk @dima_slobodeniouk will join us for the Fiskars Summer Festival 2026 as one of the conducting mentors ✨ Slobodeniouk collaborates with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Phi
✨ New blog post! ✨ We caught up with American conductor and Fiskars Summer Festival 2021 alumnus Caleb Young following his recent debut with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, where he conducted music by Bernstein, Williams and Shostakovich. We t
✨ The Opening Concert of Fiskars Summer Festival 2026 will be held in the beautiful setting of Ravintola Kuparipaja ✨ Ticket holders are invited to enjoy a specially prepared pre-concert dinner beginning at 18:00, created by Kuparipaja’s accl
✨ LEAD! Foundation welcomes the new generation of instrumentalists to the Fiskars Summer Festival! ✨ We are proud to announce the following participants to our Young Instrumentalists Programme! Franziska Anne Fundelić - Flute Yu-En Chen - Oboe Rocc
As Fiskars Summer Festival 2026 approaches, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to @kulttuurirahasto Uusimaa Regional Fund and all the foundations, organisations and individuals who support our work. ❤️ Thanks to the generous support of Wil
Last week we had the pleasure to collaborate with @helsinkiphilharmonic and @mezzocargill for Mahler's 3rd Symphony! We are incredibly proud of our young instrumentalists students who joined the orchestra for the rehearsals and both concerts ❤️ Dash

COMING UP

  • FISKARS SUMMER FESTIVAL 2026

    Thank you everyone who participated in the 7th edition of Fiskars Summer Festival!

    This year our young musicians representing over 25 different nationalities performed in 6 concerts in the span of one week. We were extremely happy to see our participants learn, socialise and make music together in the beautiful venues of Fiskars and Turku.

    The wheels for Fiskars Summer Festival 2027 are already in motion, and we can’t wait to tell you about our plans in the near future!

  • LEAD! LAB BERGEN - MASTERCLASS FOR CONDUCTORS AND COMPOSERS

    We are excited to announce a new LEAD! Lab, this time in Bergen!

    LEAD! – Lab for Composers & Conductors is a three-day professional development workshop taking place in Bergen, Norway, on 8–10 December 2026. Bringing together 5 emerging composers and 5 conductors, the Lab explores collaboration between composers, conductors and professional ensembles.

    The artistic faculty includes composer Magnus Lindberg, conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and industry mentors Sarah Osa and Paul Hughes. Organised in collaboration with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lab takes place alongside the orchestra’s rehearsals for Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony and Lindberg’s new concerto. Through open rehearsals, individual sessions, discussions and career-development seminars, participants gain insight into the professional orchestral environment and the process of bringing new music from score to stage.

    Applications are now open!

    FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY HERE!

  • LEAD X TURKU MUSIC FESTIVAL

    This year marks the first time when the final concert of the festival is repeated outside of Fiskars. We are delighted to join forces with the Turku Music Festival and bring the Fiskars Festival Orchestra to perform in their Opening Concert. The concert will be conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill shines as the soloist for Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder.

    The Turku Music Festival is Finland’s oldest continuously running music festival, founded by the Turku Musical Society in 1960. Their events hold a wide range of performers and styles from orchestral music to jazz and outdoor events. The current Artistic Director is Lauri Porra.