Born in the Ukraine, Stasevska and her family subsequently moved to Tallinn, and later to Finland when she was age 5. Her family lived in Helsinki for a year, and then moved to Tampere. As a youth, Stasevska learnt the violin. She formally studied violin and in composition at the Tampere Conservatory. She continued her musical studies at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki in violin and viola. In her 20s, she developed a new interest in conducting, and pawned her violin to finance education in conducting. Stasevska studied conducting at the Royal Swedish Academy, where her teachers included Jorma Panula, and at the Sibelius Academy, where her teachers included Leif Segerstam. She earned a diploma from the Sibelius Academy in 2012. From 2010 to 2015, Stasevska was artistic director of the Kamarikesä Festival. From 2014 to 2016, Stasevska was an assistant conductor to Paavo Järvi at the Orchestre de Paris. In 2015, Stasevska first guest-conducted the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. On 10 December 2018, she conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Nobel PrizeAward Ceremony 2018, the second female conductor ever to conduct the orchestra at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. Stasevska made her UK guest-conducting debut in 2018 with the orchestra of Opera North. In May 2018, Stasevska first-guest conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra at a Maida Vale studio concert. On the basis of this appearance, in January 2019, the BBC SO announced the appointment of Stasevska as its next principal guest conductor, effective July 2019. Stasevska is the first female conductor ever to be named principal guest conductor of the BBC SO, and the second female conductor to have a titled post with a BBC orchestra. She made her public debut with the BBC SO at The Proms in July 2019. In May 2020, Sinfonia Lahti announced the appointment of Stasevska as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. This appointment marks her first chief conductor post. She is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Stasevska is married to the Finnish musician and composer Lauri Porra, the bassist for Stratovarius and the great-grandson of Jean Sibelius.
