Atso Aksel Almila is a Finnish conductor, composer, and trombonist born on June 13, 1953, in Helsinki. He graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 1979 after studying under Jorma Panula and Harald Andersén. Almila achieved early recognition in 1981 when he shared first prize at the Norrköping Nordic Conducting Competition with Jukka-Pekka Saraste. He served as the musical director of the National Theatre of Finland from 1982 to 1995 and led the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra between 1987 and 1989. Almila held artistic leadership roles with the Joensuu City Orchestra from 1993 to 2000 and the Kuopio City Orchestra from 1995 to 1999. Since 2000, he has been the Principal Guest Conductor of the Seinäjoki City Orchestra. His compositional output includes five symphonies and the operas Kolmekymmentä Hopearahaa, Ameriikka, Isontaloon Antti, and Pohjanmaan Kautta. Almila served as a professor at the Sibelius Academy from 2013 until his retirement in 2019.
