Tauno Hannikainen

Tauno Hannikainen was a Finnish cellist and conductor. Born in Jyväskylä, he was the son of the composer Pekka Juhani Hannikainen. The pianist Ilmari Hannikainen and the harpist Väinö Hannikainen were his brothers. He studied first as a cellist in Helsinki and abroad. From 1922 he became the second conductor in the Finnish Opera House in Helsinki. He conducted the music at Sibelius's funeral. He went to the USA in 1940, becoming music director of the Duluth Symphony Orchestra (1942–47). He was an assistant conductor (1947–49) and associate conductor (1949–50) with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and was principal conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.