Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet
Håkan Hardenberger is held in high regard not only for his inspired musicianship, technical mastery and unique presence, but as the most noted pioneer of new works for the trumpet. 

Håkan Hardenberger performs with the world’s leading orchestras and  conductors. He is a frequent guest at the major festivals of Lucerne, Salzburg and the BBC Proms, and has given recitals in the Konzerthaus Vienna, Wigmore Hall, Tonhalle Zürich and Musikhalle Hamburg.

A notable list of works written for Hardenberger and championed by him now stand as key highlights in the trumpet repertoire, including music by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Hans Werner Henze, Rolf Martinsson, Arvo Pärt and Mark Anthony Turnage. HK Gruber’s concerto Aerial, commissioned by and premiered at the BBC Proms in 1999, has be given no fewer than 40 performances by Hardenberger.  

Hardenberger has made many recordings for Philips, EMI and BIS Records. Two discs were released in 2006—solo works for BIS Records, and a disc of Turnage, Gruber and Eotvös with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Peter Eötvös for Deutsche Grammophon, which has received high praise.  

Hardenberger opened the 2006-07 season giving the world premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s concerto, “O…miramando multiplo…” at the Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic and Pierre Boulez. His schedule includes additional performances with its’ co-commissioning partners, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Alan Gilbert and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Ilan Volkov.

During this season, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic presents Hardenberger in a major focus that will see him performing Henze’s Requiem, Gruber’s Aerial, the aforementioned Neuwirth coupled with Haydn, and Rolf Martinsson’s Bridge both in Stockholm and on a Balkan tour. In addition, he performs with The Philharmonia, Helsinki Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, as director-soloist with Amsterdam Sinfonietta with a new Gruber commission in Amsterdam and on tour to Spain, and as soloist with the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras.

In recital Håkan Hardenberger has key partnerships with pianist Aleksandar Madžar, with whom he has toured to the USA, and Roland Pöntinen. He also performs with percussionist Colin Currie and has a unique partnership with Swedish poet Jacques Werup.

A professor at the Malmö Conservatoire, Hardenberger’s commitment to teaching is further recognized in his increased presence at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where he is now a Fellow.

Håkan 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.