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The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Norwegian: Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester) was established in 1765 under the name Det Musicalske Selskab (The Musical Society), it later changed its name to Musikselskabet Harmonien. Bergen citizens often refer to the ensemble as "Harmonien" (the Harmony). It is one of the world’s oldest orchestras.
After World War I, there was strong interest in the major Norwegian cities of Bergen and Kristiania (later Oslo) in having larger orchestras. In 1919, the orchestra in Bergen was reorganized to employ 40 professional full-time musicians. As of 2015, the orchestra has 101 musicians.
The orchestra has had a long tradition of playing contemporary music. L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 was performed in Bergen in the year it was published, 1804, even before it was performed in Berlin. Bergen-born composer Edvard Grieg had close ties with the orchestra, and was artistic director from 1880 to 1882. He also bequeathed a portion of his estate to a fund which continues to provide financial support for the orchestra. Other composers have served as principal conductor of the orchestra, including Arvid Fladmoe, Johan Halvorsen, Iver Holter, Richard Henneberg, Olav Kielland and Per Winge. Composer Harald Sæverud was frequently invited to conduct his own works, and the orchestra continues to commission and perform new compositions on a regular basis. Other composers who have conducted their own works with the orchestra include Aaron Copland, Karl Nielsen, Jean Sibelius, Witold Lutosławski, Lukas Foss, and Krzysztof Penderecki. In 1953, the Festspillene i Bergen was started and Leopold Stokowski was contracted to conduct the orchestra. Other conductors at the Bergen Festival have included Eugene Ormandy and Sir Thomas Beecham.
Andrew Litton became Principal Conductor in 2003 and Artistic Director in 2005. In 2002, the orchestra began to record the complete orchestral works of Edvard Grieg, the first Norwegian orchestra to do so. Norwegian conductor Ole Kristian Ruud and the orchestra recorded the final of the 7 CD's for BIS, in 2005. Andrew Litton now has the title of Conductor Laureate with the orchestra.
The orchestra's most recent Chief Conductor was Edward Gardner, beginning in 2015. In January 2017. the orchestra announced the extension of Edward Gardner's contract in Bergen through 2021. In September 2019, the orchestra further extended Edward Gardner's contract through 2023. In June 2021, the orchestra announced a 1-year extension of Edward Gardner's contract through July 2024. In November 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Sir Mark Elder as its next Principal Guest Conductor, effective August 1, 2022, with an initial contract of three years through July 31, 2025. Edward Gardner concluded his tenure as Chief Conductor at the close of the 2023-2024 season, at which time the orchestra named him its æresdirigent (honorary conductor).
In December 2020, Tabita Berglund, a former deputy cellist with the orchestra, first guest-conducted the orchetra in a quarantined concert. She made her first subscription series guest-conducting appearance with the orchestra in September 2025. In March 2026, the orchestra announced the appointment of Berglund as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2027-2028 season, with an initial contract of four seasons. She is to hold the title of chief conductor-designate in the 2026-2027 season. Berglund is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic.
Recent tours saw the Bergen Philharmonic and Edward Gardner perform in venues including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and a return to the UK for concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms.
Each season, selected BPO concerts are livestreamed for free on the orchestra’s Bergenphilive platform, and remain available through the website’s archive; the initiative’s reach dramatically expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing audiences worldwide to enjoy live performances online.
Edward Gardner and the Orchestra were awarded the Gramophone Opera Recording of the Year and Recording of the Year 2021 for their recording of Britten’s Peter Grimes. In 2025 the orchestra was awarded Gramophone Orchestra of the Year.
Many members of the orchestra teach at the Grieg Academy of Music, which is a music conservatory within the University of Bergen. |
