On Sept. 24, Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä began a three-week residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) at Orchestra Hall, marking a lead-up to his appointment as the orchestra’s 11th music director, effective next September. Mäkelä’s emergence has drawn attention not only for his talent but also for an ongoing conversation about the absence of American-born music directors in the CSO’s 136-year history.
Since its founding, the CSO has appointed only conductors born outside the United States. Previous music directors originated from countries including Germany, Belgium, Hungary, France, Argentina, Italy, and Finland, reflecting a longstanding tradition of hiring conductors internationally. The current appointment continues this pattern, with Mäkelä joining an illustrious list that includes Theodore Thomas, Frederick Stock, Fritz Reiner, Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, and Riccardo Muti.
The orchestra’s reliance on foreign-born directors has sparked discussion about the development of homegrown musical leadership in the United States. At a time when other countries have invested heavily in cultivating conducting talent from a young age, Chicago’s infrastructure for producing American-born conductors remains limited. The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, established in 1919 under Frederick Stock, serves as a training ground for up-and-coming musicians, many of whom eventually join the CSO. However, this program primarily focuses on instrumentalists rather than conductors, often welcoming musicians only after their conservatory studies are complete.
Mäkelä’s career trajectory exemplifies the benefits of comprehensive early music education and systematic public support, as seen in Finland. Born in 1996 to musician parents, he began musical training early, participating in children’s chorus and studying at the Sibelius Academy’s youth department by age 12. Finland's music education system is notable for its broad reach: early childhood music programs (muskari), over 100 publicly subsidized music schools, and 14 professional orchestras funded predominantly by the government. This infrastructure promotes continuous exposure to professional music-making and access to rigorous training from an early age.
By contrast, Chicago’s arts education landscape is described as fragmented. Programs such as the Merit School of Music, the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, and El Sistema contribute meaningfully but operate unevenly across different neighborhoods. In the 2023-24 school year, nearly 25% of Chicago Public Schools had not met the district’s goal of one arts teacher per 350 students, highlighting persistent gaps in access to early music education.
Experts argue that Chicago could foster American-born conductors by expanding opportunities for young musicians to engage directly with professional ensembles. This might include initiatives where teenagers have weekly rehearsals with orchestras like the Civic Orchestra to develop conducting skills under real-world conditions. Such programs would build on the legacy of Frederick Stock, who sought to cultivate local musical talent nearly a century ago.
As Mäkelä assumes the CSO’s music directorship, his journey underscores the impact of robust, publicly supported music education systems. The challenge for Chicago lies in creating a similarly systematic pathway that nurtures future American conductors from childhood onward.