The Danish National Philharmonic Orchestra (Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester) in Sønderborg (South Jutland) has announced that from the 2025/26 season, Christian Øland will take on the role of Chief Conductor.
Christian Øland was born in Denmark in 1994 and has studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He was admitted when he was 18 years old, and after only one year of studies, he was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra by the orchestra’s Chief Conductor Hannu Lintu and led the orchestra in concert. He worked closely with visiting conductors including Esa Pekka Salonen and Herbert Blomstedt.
Before commencing his conducting studies, Christian Øland studied bassoon and piano in Denmark. Simultaneously with his conducting studies, he played as a bassoonist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In 2016, Øland received the Carl Nielsen Talent Prize and the same year he was awarded the Arne Hammelboe Travel Scholarship by The Danish Conductors Association.