For much of the 20th century, the orchestra conductor was imagined as an elder statesman: authoritative, formidable, and often distant. Today, that image is changing. A new generation of conductors — some still under 35 — is rising into positions that were once considered the preserve of older, institutionally seasoned figures. The most visible example is Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä, who was appointed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s next music director in 2024 and is set to begin his tenure in the 2027–28 season, while simultaneously holding or preparing for senior roles with the Orchestre de Paris and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

I charge double what my competitors charge. And I'm booked out. In an industry where image matters, conventional wisdom says you need to fit a certain mold to succeed. Instead, I built a $100k side hustle in 12 months and now run two companies named after my kids.

When Finnish engineer Ari Kurvi takes a hot shower or turns up his home thermostat, an unlikely source keeps him warm: a nearby data center. As its servers churn through terabytes of information for video calls and web searches, an elaborate system of pipes harvests the excess heat and feeds it to homes in the town of Mäntsälä, Finland.

In the summer of 1944, a young Estonian patriot named Endel Vaher fled his war-torn homeland with little more than faith and determination. Decades later – now known as Father Vello Salo – he would be revered as a quiet hero among Estonians abroad for keeping their culture and hope alive through the darkest years. From battlefields in Europe to classrooms in Toronto, and from Vatican City to remote Canadian forests, Salo’s life became a remarkable odyssey of service to his scattered nation.