Håkan Hardenberger

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 inspired countless composers and 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, Concertgebouworkest, Wiener Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the London, Boston and NHK Symphony Orchestras. Notable engagements of the 2025/26 season include the Norwegian Premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Towards Paradise with the Oslo Philharmonic and Alain Altinoglu as well as the Dutch premiere with the Concertgebouworkest and Andris Nelsons, with whom he will also perform Bernd Zimmerman’s Nobody knows de trouble I see with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. He brings HK Gruber’s Aerial to the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Fabien Gabel.

Further engagements include with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra for Wallin’s The Fisher King under the baton of Dima Slobodeniouk and a performance with the Boulez Saal Ensemble for Neuwirth’s ..miramondo multiplo... and Matthias Pintscher. He concludes the season on a European tour with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding. Hardenberger also joins John Storgårds with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and leads the Danish Philharmonic Orchestra in a play-direct program.

A committed educator, Hardenberger performs with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie alongside Nodoka Okisawa as well as leading masterclasses at the Paris Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music, London. Hardenberger enjoys collaborating with some of the most renowned conductors, including Alain Altinoglu, Marin Alsop, Ryan Bancroft, Tabita Berglund, Fabien Gabel, Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Susanna Mälkki, Andris Nelsons, Eva Ollikainen, 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 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 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, guitarist Mats Bergström and percussionist Colin Currie. With the latter Hardenberger released a recording of works by Brett Dean, André Jolivet and others.

The latest addition to his discography on BIS features French trumpet concertos by Jolivet, Schmitt, and Tomasi, and 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.