Mariss Jansons, Music Director of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra since 1979, is recognised as one of the most distinguished musicians of his generation. He has become known to audiences worldwide through his acclaimed recordings, concert performances and touring, as well as numerous radio and television appearances. In addition to his post with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, which he has brought to international attention, Mr Jansons has served as Associate Principal Conductor of the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 1985. He was named Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from the beginning of the 1992/93 season and in March 1997 was appointed Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Considered one of the leading conductors to emerge from the former Soviet Union, Mariss Jansons was born in Riga, Latvia in 1943, son of the renowned conductor Arvid Jansons. He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Leningrad Conservatory, from which he graduated with honours. In 1969 he continued his training in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky and in Salzburg with Herbert von Karajan. Two years later he won the International Herbert von Karajan Foundation Competition in Berlin.

Since 1979, Mariss Jansons has held the post of Music Director of the Oslo Philharmonic which, under his leadership, has grown to become internationally acknowledged as one of the world's finest orchestras. The very well received tours of Mariss Jansons and the Oslo Philharmonic have in the last few years taken them to the main musical centres in Europe, America and Japan, including the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals, the Edinburgh Festival, BBC Proms, the Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall in London, the Vienna Musikverein, the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, New York and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

Mariss Jansons' collaboration with the St Petersburg Philharmonic (formerly the Leningrad Philharmonic) Orchestra dates back to 1973 when Mravinsky, then it's Music Director, invited Mr Jansons to assist him as Associate Conductor. In 1985 Mr Jansons was appointed Principal Conductor, the post he currently holds under the Music Directorship of Yuri Temirkanov. Since his appointment, Mariss Jansons has conducted the orchestra on many of its successful tours to Europe, North America and Japan.

Mariss Jansons is fast becoming one of the world's most prominent and sought-after conductors of our time. In recent years he has made hugely successful guest appearances with many leading orchestras of North America and Europe, including the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, The Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, NDR Hamburg Symphony, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestras, by all of whom he has been reinvited. He made a very successful debut with the New York Philharmonic in May 1994, which has led to an invitation to return on a regular basis. He will also continue to appear each year at the Salzburg Summer Festival with different orchestras. Highlights of his 1998 season included performances with the Oslo Philharmonic, a Far Eastern Tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in May and a tour with the Vienna Philharmonic to Europe in November. For his 1999 season he plans to perform concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic with soloist Mikhail Rudy, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the St Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia.

Mariss Jansons' recordings on the EMI Classics label comprise works ranging from Berlioz, Dvorak and Bartok to Mahler, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Respighi, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Wagner. Since 1986 he has recorded exclusively for EMI Classics, a relationship renewed with a long-term contract in 1991. This has resulted in releases with the Oslo Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestras. His discography includes Shostakovich's Symphony No.10 and Songs and Dances of Death with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Scheherazade and Capriccio Espagnole by Rimsky-Korsakov with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the third and fifth Symphonies of Sibelius with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Shostakovich's first symphony and first piano concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recent releases include Respighi's Rome Cycle with the Oslo Philharmonic, Shostakovich's Symphony No.11 with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Symphony No.5 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (August 1997) as part of his ongoing cycle of the complete symphonies. Recent releases include the Sibelius and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos with Sarah Chang and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in March 1998, his 'World Encores' album with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in April and the Weill Violin Concerto and Symphony No.2 with Frank Peter Zimmermann and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in July. Mariss Jansons has also recorded Shostakovich's Symphony No.15 and the Piano Concerto No.2 with Mikhail Rudy and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has recently recorded Rachmaninov's Symphony No.1 and the Isle of the Dead with the St Petersburg Philharmonic.
Several of Mariss Jansons' recordings have received international awards. His recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No.7 with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra won an Edison Award in 1989; Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra won the coveted Dutch Luister Award; and Dvorak's Symphony No.5 with the Oslo Philharmonic received a Penguin Award.

During 1995 King Harald V of Norway appointed Mariss Jansons Commander with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for his work and achievements with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the highest such award available to foreigners. Mr Jansons has also been awarded the prestigious Norwegian Culture Prize of Anders Jahre.