Håkan Hardenberger

Håkan Hardenberger is a Swedish trumpeter known for playing both the classic trumpet concertos and a long list of pieces written for him by living composers. He has also worked as a conductor. Our listings place him with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in February 2027, though the program lists no trumpet solo, so check the concert page.

Listen for a trumpet that sounds more like a singer than a bugle. He is known for a smooth, controlled tone and for playing very quietly without losing focus, as well as for sharp, clean articulation (how each note starts and stops). He has championed new works, including concertos written for him by composers such as Harrison Birtwistle, HK Gruber and Mark-Anthony Turnage, so a program with him often includes something you have not heard before alongside a familiar classic from the trumpet's older repertoire.

Hardenberger was born in Malmö, Sweden, in 1961, and began on trumpet as a boy. He studied in Sweden, then in Paris and in Los Angeles. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as a soloist and became one of the few trumpeters with a full international career playing with major orchestras. Over the years composers wrote new concertos for him, and later he added conducting to his work.