Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

BFO Orkester Foaje 29.8.23 6907 Oransje SKJERM Srgb Crop

The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world’s oldest orchestras, dates back to 1765 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2015. Edvard Grieg had a close relationship with the Orchestra, serving as its artistic director during the years 1880-1882.   

The one-hundred-and-one strong orchestra has status of Norwegian national orchestra. The Orchestra enjoys a high international standing through recordings, extensive touring and international commissions, and was nominated Orchestra of the Year by Gramophone in 2020.

During the last few seasons the orchestra has played in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, at the BBC Proms, Wiener Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, New York, and the Philharmonie, Berlin.  The orchestra and Edward Gardner appeared at the Edinburgh International Festival with their critically acclaimed production of Peter Grimes in August 2017. In 2018 the Orchestra re-visited the Concertgebouw, BBC Proms and played in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg as the first Scandinavian orchestra. In January 2019 the orchestra returned to Salzburg giving three concerts at the Haus für Mozart, and toured France, Germany and Netherlands later in the spring. In November 2019 the orchestra was invited to Royal Festival Hall in London to perform Benjamin Brittens opera Peter Grimes, a performance which was hailed as one of the classical highlights in the UK in 2019. The orchestra revisited Edinburgh in 2022 with a critically acclaimed performance of Strauss' Salome. This Festival-tour continued to Denmark and Germany with Vikingur Olafsson as soloist. Germany and Belgium was revisited in 2023 with Vikingur Olafsson and Augustin Hadelich as oloists. The orchestra toured Germany, Austria in 2024, with Alexej Gerassimez, Veronika Eberle and Isabelle Faust as soloists, and officially opened the Festival Internacional de Musica de Canarias in 2024.

In 2015 the orchestra established its own free live stream service, Bergenphilive, which offers a fine selection of works performed by the orchestra and a range of conductors and soloists. Highlights include Schoenberg’s GurreLieder and Verdi’s Requiem.  A youth ensemble - Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, was also established, and gives four to six concerts per year.

The Orchestra has an active recording schedule, currently releasing four CDs every year. Critics worldwide applaud the energetic playing style and the full-bodied string sound.  Recent and ongoing recording projects include a series of orchestral works by Janáček, Messiaen’s Turangalîla, ballets by Stravinsky, and the complete symphonies, ballet suites, concertos by Prokofiev and the complete orchestral music of Edvard Grieg.  Enjoying long-standing artistic partnerships with some of the finest musicians in the world, the Orchestra has recorded with Leif Ove Andsnes, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, James Ehnes, Gerald Finley, Stuart Skelton, Alban Gerhardt, Vadim Gluzman, Stephen Hough, Freddy Kempf, Truls Mørk, Steven Osborne and Lawrence Power, among others.

The orchestra has recorded Tchaikovsky’s three great ballets and two critically acclaimed series of works by Johan Halvorsen and Johan Svendsen with Neeme Järvi, orchestral works by Rimsky-Korsakov with Dmitri Kitayenko and with Sir Andrew Davis the Orchestra has recorded music by Berlioz, Delius, Elgar, Sibelius and Vaughan Williams. With Thomas Dausgaard the orchestra is recording a series of Bruckner-symphonies.

Together with Sir Mark Elder the orchestra has recorded Frederick Delius' Mass of Life, a release which was awarded the Norwegian Spellemann for 2023.

Under former Chief Conductor Edward Gardner, the Orchestra released a series of recordings: A critically acclaimed series devoted to orchestral works by Janáček, including a Grammy-nominated recording of his Glagolitic Mass, Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder, songs by Sibelius with Gerald Finley as soloist, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Incidental music to Peer Gynt, featuring Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Ann-Helen Moen and Lise Davidsen, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Rhapsodies with James Ehnes, Bartoks Bluebeard’s Castle with John Relyea and Michelle DeYoung, Brahms symphonies Nos. 1 and 3, Sibelius' Luonnotar and other works with Lise Davidsen, Britten's Peter Grimes, songs by Canteloube and Britten with Mari Eriksmoen, symphonies and concertos by Carl Nielsen and Arne Nordheim's The Tempest.

Board of Directors

Audun Hasti, Chair
Anders Nome Lepsøe, Vice Chair
Harpreet Bansal
Eli Bergsvik
Jeffrey Marquardt
Vidar Nordli
Elin Inderjit Sarai
Ivar Chelsom Vogt

Deputy members
Liv E. Nordskog
Karoline Skuseth
Sigvald Sveinbjørnsson
Bjarne Sælensminde
Oddmund Økland

Eco-Lighthouse

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is Eco-Lighthouse certified and classified as Eco-Lighthouse in 2022. This means that we and our partners must comply with strict criteria to be able to run our concert- and production activities, which we aim to be as sustainable as possible. Our sustainable measures are embodied in our action plans, and we keep climate accounting
in accordance with the standard set by Eco-Lighthouse. Several of our measures are included in our collaboration with Grieghallen, which is Eco-Lighthouse and Klimapartner certified. This means that all stages in our productions are to be as sustainable as possible.

Information
We inform our audience about our environmental measures through our own channels. All employees and partners have been supplied with the required information about our certification.

Transport and travel routines
We facilitate environment friendly transport, and we encourage our substitutes, visiting musicians and audience to choose environment friendly transport options when possible. Grieghallen is close to public transport and has facilities for bicycle parking and City bikes available for our audience as well as for our employees.

Energy-saving measures
We have, in collaboration with Grieghallen, focus on energy-saving measures such as heating and sustainable technical solutions.

Procurement
All our main partners and suppliers are environmentally certified.

Disposable items
The use of disposable items is reduced to a minimum.

Waste
We have, in collaboration with Grieghallen, an efficient system for source sorting and waste stations are easily available throughout the building.

Catering
Catering for our audience is organized and executed by De bergenske, hired by Grieghallen. In our own canteen there is focus on reducing food waste.

Sound level
We have focus on safety for our employees and our audience. We do therefore have hearing protection easily available for employees and audience in productions making noise over 92 decibels.