Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, winner of Gramophone's 2025 Orchestra of the Year Award, is an internationally renowned symphony orchestra with a history stretching back more than 260 years.

The orchestra has a busy concert schedule, a substantial outreach programme and a strong international presence through tours, recordings and the streaming service Bergenphilive.no. For the 2026/27 season the

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Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, winner of Gramophone's 2025 Orchestra of the Year Award, is an internationally renowned symphony orchestra with a history stretching back more than 260 years.

The orchestra has a busy concert schedule, a substantial outreach programme and a strong international presence through tours, recordings and the streaming service Bergenphilive.no. For the 2026/27 season the orchestra will tour in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy. The orchestra regularly records with Chandos, BIS and Lawo. It is owned by Musikkselskapet Harmonien, which also runs the Bergen Philharmonic Chorus and the Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The orchestra's home venue, Grieghallen, sits in the heart of the city centre.

Tabita Berglund is Chief Conductor Designate for the 2026/27 season and takes up the post of Chief Conductor in August 2027. The orchestra's close artistic circle also includes Principal Guest Conductor Sir Mark Elder, Artistic Partner Jan Willem de Vriend, and Honorary Conductor Edward Gardner, along with a wide range of leading guest conductors and soloists.

The orchestra plays a vital part in local and Norwegian cultural life, and its musicians enjoy the security of a strong welfare state. The orchestra is built on democratic principles. Its musicians have a real voice in artistic decisions and in shaping their own working conditions, through elected councils and committees and regular evaluations of guest conductors.

Bergen is a compact city set between mountains and fjords. In 2026, Oxford Economics' Global Cities Index ranked it first in Europe and second in the world for quality of life.

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