Conductor Susanna Mälkki has been appointed the principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her position will last three years, starting in 2017.

The Philharmonic has had only two principal guest conductors in the past, Michael Tilson Thomas and Simon Rattle. Mälkki will be the first principal guest conductor in a generation, and the first woman to hold the position.

Mälkki worked with the LA Philharmonic for the first time in 2010. She recently made her debuts with the New York Philharmonic as well as the orchestras of Cleveland and Philadelphia, and in the fall Mälkki will become chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Read our In the Spotlight feature on Susanna Mälkki here.