Vacancies

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra are seeking an Associate Principal Bass.  

• You have outstanding musical and artistic abilities.  

• You have good cooperation and ensemble skills.  

• You lead musically when needed.  

As a member of the bass section, you contribute with your high musical standards and strong ensemble skills. As Associate Principal you usually sit in the 2nd or 3rd chair, but may also step into the principal position when needed. You provide solid support to both the Principal and the Assistant Principal, and you can take over their roles if necessary. 

In addition to your musical responsibilities, you hold a special responsibility for the group in the absence of the Principal and the Assistant Principal. You participate in the distribution of stage duties and stay informed about potential substitutes. You work to ensure that the group performs at its best. 

Salary:  

The salary for the position is regulated by the collective agreement between Creo - the union for arts and culture and Musikkselskapet Harmonien, and will depend on seniority.   
Min. NOK 733.850 per annum. 

As a member of our orchestra, you will be eligible for benefits under the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme (Folketrygden), which provides financial support for residents including cash benefits for illness/disability, family support, pensions and healthcare coverage.  

How to apply:  

To apply, please complete the below application form adding a link to the pre-qualification round video. A jury will consider the applications once the deadline has passed. The video round should be considered as a first round, and only highly qualified candidates will be invited to audition

Pre-qualification round video 

The candidates record a video of the following repertoire:

• Either Dittersdorf: Concerto no. 2, kr. 172 or Vanhal: Concerto 
  Exposition from mvmt. 1 with cadenza 

• Orchestral excerpts can be downloaded here.

• The video should be without accompaniment, in orchestral tuning.  

 
The video must be recorded in one continuous take and must not be edited. The order should be as listed above. 

You must remain visible throughout the take. You can take your time in between the pieces to tune and adjust if necessary, but the camera must be on the whole time. 

A smartphone is adequate for the video recording. Ensure that the overall sound level of the recording is good. If you use a microphone, make sure it is placed at a suitable distance from your instrument. Film in landscape mode. You and the whole instrument must be visible at all times.  

The video must be uploaded on YouTube, mark it as ‘not listed’ and paste the link to the video in the application form below. Videos submitted in any other way will be rejected. 

For those invited to audition 

Programme:  

• Dittersdorf: Concerto no. 2, kr. 172 or Vanhal: Concerto:  
  Mov. 1 with cadenza 

• Bottesini: Concerto no. 2 i B minor: Mov 1. with cadenza 
  or Koussevitskij: Concerto op.3: mov. 1 

• Orchestral excerpts and chamber music can be downloaded here. 

• The audition should be played in orchestral tuning.  

All communication with the candidates will be done by email. 
Please be aware that our emails might be in your spam folder.  

If you have questions, please get in touch with the orchestra personnel managers:  
Aslak Bjørge Hermstad (+47 97122883) or Vidar Olsen (+47 90109247) or by email to audition@harmonien.no.