During his extraordinary 40-year career as the world’s most prominent trumpet soloist, Håkan Hardenberger has not only pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved with the instrument, he has also inspired countless composers and fellow musicians to expand their horizons and explore unknown musical territories with him. His quest for excellence and innovation continues to this day and he champions the finest works written for the trumpet by performing them with stunning virtuosity and sheer dedication to music.  

Hardenberger performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Concertgebouworkest, and the London, Boston, and NHK Symphony Orchestras.

Notable engagements of the 2024/25 season include the Spanish premiere of Jörg Widmann’s ‘Towards Paradise’ with the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE and Ingo Metzmacher, the Swiss premiere with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Eva Ollikainen, and the Japanese premiere with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the composer himself, Jörg Widmann. Hardenberger performs the Swedish premiere of Helen Grime’s trumpet concerto, ‘night-sky-blue’ with Göteborgs Symfoniker and Tabita Berglund, as well as with Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Nodoka Okisawa. Further engagements include playing Gruber’s ‘Aerial’ with Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León and Fabien Gabel, with whom he also performs Martinsson’s trumpet concerto ‘Bridge’ in celebration of Malmö Symfoniorkester’s 100thBirthday. Hardenberger joins John Storgårds with the BBC Philharmonic and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra for performances of the Haydn trumpet concerto and Jolas’s ‘Onze Lieder’. He also plays the Weinberg trumpet concerto with BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Ryan Bancroft, and with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and Jonathan Heyward.

Hardenberger enjoys collaborating with some of the most renowned conductors, including Marin Alsop, Ryan Bancroft, Fabien Gabel, Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Susanna Mälkki, Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, Sir Simon Rattle, Dima Slobodeniouk, and John Storgårds.

Many works written for Håkan Hardenberger stand as cornerstones of what has become a vast repertoire thanks to his tireless commitment. These have included pieces by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Brett Dean, Helen Grime, HK Gruber, Hans Werner Henze, Betsy Jolas, György Ligeti, Olga Neuwirth, Tōru Takemitsu, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Rolf Wallin, and Jörg Widmann.

Håkan Hardenberger’s recent 60th birthday season featured two extraordinary trumpet concertos: Jörg Widmann’s ‘Towards Paradise’, co-commissioned by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Helen Grime’s ‘night-sky-blue’, co-commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation, Library of Congress, London Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He appeared as Artist Portrait with the London Symphony Orchestra, performing Betsy Jolas’s ‘Histoire Vraies’ with Sir Simon Rattle in London and Paris, and giving country premieres of the Grime concerto in Germany and Denmark.

Hardenberger performs frequently with pianist Roland Pöntinen and percussionist Colin Currie. With the latter Hardenberger released a recording of duo works by Brett Dean, André Jolivet, and others. The latest addition to his prolific discography on BIS features French trumpet concertos by Jolivet, Schmitt, and Tomasi, as well as Jolas’ ‘Onze Lieder’. He has also recorded for Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, and EMI.

Born in Malmö, Sweden, he began studying the trumpet at the age of eight with Bo Nilsson and continued his studies at the Paris Conservatoire with Pierre Thibaud and in Los Angeles with Thomas Stevens. From 2016 to 2018, Hardenberger was Artistic Director of the Malmö Chamber Music Festival and he is a professor at the Malmö Conservatoire.

SEASON 2024/2025