Håkan Hardenberger

Professor of Trumpet

Håkan Hardenberger is one of the world’s leading soloists, consistently recognized for his phenomenal performances and tireless innovation. Alongside his performances of the classical repertory, he is also renowned as a pioneer of significant and virtuosic new trumpet works.

Håkan Hardenberger performs with the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Wiener Philharmoniker, Swedish Radio Symphony, London Symphony, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and NHK Symphony Orchestra. Conductors he regularly collaborates with include Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Paavo Järvi, Ingo Metzmacher, Andris Nelsons, John Storgårds and David Zinman.
The works written for and championed by Hardenberger stand as key highlights in the repertory and include those by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Brett Dean, Hans Werner Henze, Rolf Martinsson, Olga Neuwirth, Arvo Pärt, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Rolf Wallin and HK Gruber’s concerto Aerial, whichhas received its 70thperformance by Hardenberger with Berlin Philharmonic this year.

In summer 2015 he returns to the Tanglewood Music Festival performing Brett Dean’s trumpet concerto Dramatis Personae, followed by tour concerts with Boston Symphony and Andris Nelsons at the BBC Proms, Lucerne Festival and Philharmonie Cologne. The latter concert marks the opening of Hardenberger’s Residency at the Philharmonie in 2015/16. He returns to Cologne as part of a tour with Swedish Chamber Orchestra, playing Steven Mackey’s new response to Bach’s Brandenburg concerto No.2, and with Mahler Chamber Orchestra playing Turnage’s 2ndtrumpet concerto Håkan.  He also is at the centre of The Trumpet Shall Sound, a highly anticipated series of concerts and events with the Philharmonia Orchestra.  

Also this season, Hardenberger presents the world premieres of Thierry Pecou’s trumpet concerto with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/ Mikko Franck and Betsy Jolas’s double concerto with pianist Roger Muraro and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo/ Kazuki Yamada; the opening concert of Malmo’s new concert hall and with Dresdner Staatskapelle, BBC Scottish and Gothenburg Symphonies, Bergen Philharmonic, Tonkünstler Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Galicia, Toronto Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Taipei Symphony.
Conducting has become an integral part of Hardenberger’s music making. He conducts orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, St Paul and Swedish Chamber Orchestras, Dresden Philharmonic, RTE National Symphony Dublin, Real Filharmonia Galicia and Malmo Symphony.  In recital he has duo partnerships with pianist Roland Pöntinen and percussionist Colin Currie. He is also Artistic Director of Malmö Chamber Music, a new international chamber music festival, launching September 2016.

His extensive discography on the Philips, EMI, Deutsche Grammphon, BIS and Ondine labels includes his latest recording with Bergen Philharmonic/ John Storgårds of Rolf Wallin’s concerto Fisher King. Previous discs feature the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with new arrangements of popular film- and pop melodies (BIS), a Gruber and Schwertsik disc with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra (BIS) and his trumpet concerto CD with the Gothenburg Symphony (DG).
Hardenberger was born in Malmö, Sweden. He began studying the trumpet at the age of eight with Bo Nilsson in Malmö and continued his studies at the Paris Conservatoire, with Pierre Thibaud, and in Los Angeles with Thomas Stevens. He is a professor at the Malmö Conservatoire.