A life shaped by the orchestra

Born in Helsinki in 1959, Rasilainen trained first as a violinist before turning to conducting. His studies took him to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he worked under Jorma Panula and Arvid Jansons, and to Berlin for violin tuition with Alexander Labko. The pivot to the podium was confirmed in 1989 when he was awarded second prize at the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen — a competition with a long history of launching careers.

His conducting appointments span four countries. After early years in Finland with the Lappeenranta and Tampere orchestras, he led the Norwegian Radio Orchestra for eight years before taking the helm of the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz — one of Germany's largest regional orchestras. He subsequently served as Chief Conductor of the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz.

On the opera stage Rasilainen has conducted a broad range of repertoire, from Verdi and Puccini to Wagner and the Finnish contemporary opera of Aulis Sallinen, whose work he brought to the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Among the soloists he has collaborated with are Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Hilary Hahn, Nigel Kennedy, Igor Levit, Viktoria Mullova, Arcadi Volodos and Christian Tetzlaff.

Alongside his concert and recording work, Rasilainen committed a significant part of his professional life to teaching. His professorship in Würzburg, held from 2011 to 2026, encompassed both orchestral and choral conducting, and he gives masterclasses internationally — most recently at the Talent Music Master Courses in Brescia.