Biography
In the 2025/26 season, Finnish-British conductor Ross Jamie Collins serves as a conducting fellow with NDR Elbphilharmonie, and Assistant Conductor at Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege, where his responsibilities include leading two education projects.
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Collins returns this season to Tokyo Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic orchestras, having made successful debuts during the 2024/25 season. He also returns to Iceland Symphony, and makes his debut with Finnish National Ballet, conducting a new production titled Pulse. Other recent highlights include appearances with the Evergreen Symphony (Taiwan), Norrkoping Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra and Turku Philharmonic. In summer 2025 he joined GRAMMY award winning singer-songwriter Laufey’s ​‘A Night at the Symphony’ US tour, conducting concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Virginia, and Chautauqua symphony orchestras
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Collins was previously a Dudamel fellow at Los Angeles Philharmonic, resident conductor at Iceland Symphony, one of two conducting fellows at Tanglewood Music Center. Additionally, he was a staff conductor at the San Francisco Symphony and part of the Philharmonia’s Emerging Artist programme. ​​
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Collins was part of the inaugural class of Salonen Fellows in the Negaunee Conducting Program at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Before moving to Los Angeles in Autumn 2019 to study with Esa-Pekka Salonen, he studied with Jorma Panula at the Panula Academy in Finland and was a laureate of the VII International Jorma Panula Conducting Competition.
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Supported by a scholarship from the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Ross has participated in numerous international conducting masterclasses. He conducted the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Vaasa City Orchestra, Sinfonietta Cracovia, MAV Symphony Orchestra, Bohuslav MartinuÌŠ Philharmonic Orchestra, Lappeenranta City Orchestra, St.Michel Strings and Camerata Antonio Soler. Collins has worked closely alongside Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gilbert, Andris Nelsons, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Elim Chan, Ludovic Morlot, Eva Ollikainen and Dima Slobodeniouk, among others.
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A cellist, pianist and baritone, Collins founded his own orchestra, Symphony Orchestra ROSSO, in 2017 and conducted his first full symphonic concert at age 15