Boston Ballet Announces Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen's Finnish Knightship

Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen was awarded Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland. The decoration ceremony was held at the New York City residence of Finnish Ambassador Manu Virtamo, on April 17th.

"I am very touched and humbled by this honor. Through my entire life, I have endeavored to work for and represent Finland as a cultural ambassador. I am extremely proud of my Finnish heritage, and the country and its history have shaped who I am. This is a tremendous honor and I am extremely grateful." said Nissinen, who is a dual Finnish and American citizen.

Knighthood is bestowed upon citizens who have distinguished themselves in the service of Finland. In February 1918, shortly after Finland gained its independence from Russia, the commander-in-chief of the Finnish Military Forces proposed the establishment of an order of knighthood for acknowledging gallantry and civic metrics. The Order of the Lion of Finland was founded during the Second World War in 1942.

The three diplomatic missions in the United States, the Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Consulates General in New York and Los Angeles have the possibility to propose only a handful of people annually to be decorated with Finnish medals. For the New York Consulate General, only two other people out of 35 U.S. state jurisdictions received this recognition in 2019.

Nissinen was presented with a diplomatic certificate and set of three medals at the decoration ceremony. Each medal is designated for specific attire or events; white tie, black tie, formal. The decoration ceremony was followed by a dinner, hosted by Ambassador Virtamo and his wife, Liisa Virtamo.

"One of the main activities of diplomatic missions is to promote the good country image of their homeland. When promoting exports and investments we are very proud to tell about our innovative businesses, in many fields that Finland represents." Ambassador Virtamo said. "However, what I personally like most is to tell about our achievements in arts and culture. Mikko has been one of the names we can happily refer to when we want to highlight our greatest artistic accomplishments, especially here in the United States, but also elsewhere."

Mikko Nissinen was appointed Artistic Director of Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School in 2001. Born in Helsinki, Nissinen began his dance training at age ten with The Finnish National Ballet School, and launched his professional dance career at age 15 with The Finnish National Ballet. He continued his studies at The Kirov Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia, graduating in 1980. Nissinen danced professionally for 19 years, with Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet and as a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet. His vast repertoire ranged from classical to contemporary works, and he performed as a guest artist with many companies and partners for numerous international galas.

Nissinen directed the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, California from 1996-1998, and Alberta Ballet in Calgary, Canada from 1998-2001, also serving as Alberta Ballet's Executive Director from 1999-2000. As Artistic Director of Boston Ballet, Nissinen has defined the Company's image, cultivating a dynamic collection of classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoire, ranging from full length classical ballets, to masterworks by George Balanchine, to new works and world premieres by some of the finest contemporary choreographers today.

This three-part repertoire balance has established the Company as one of the leading dance organizations in America, acclaimed for its excellence, artistic innovation and versatility. Under Nissinen's regime The Boston Globe called Boston Ballet's transformation one of the "biggest arts stories of the decade."

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