Tabita Berglund has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, effective from August 2027, for an initial tenure of four seasons. She will serve as the orchestra’s Chief Conductor Designate for the 26/27 season.

Succeeding Edward Gardner, Berglund becomes the first Norwegian conductor to lead the orchestra since 1985, and the first Norwegian female chief conductor of a major Norwegian symphony orchestra. She will conduct the orchestra across a minimum of 10 weeks each season, also leading them on international tours and adding new recordings to the award-winning discography. Berglund first began her association with the Bergen Philharmonic back in 2015 as a deputy in its cello section, before taking up conducting in 2017 and conducting the orchestra for the first time in 2020. 

“I am happy, proud and humble to become the new Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra,” says Berglund. ​“It is a great honour, and the fact I have been personally chosen by the orchestra’s musicians makes me even happier. Having widely conducted abroad, this appointment feels like coming home. It makes me especially happy to be the first Norwegian to hold the post since Karsten Andersen over forty years ago.”

The orchestra’s Chief Executive, Sigurd Sverdrup Sandmo, comments: ​“By choosing Tabita Berglund as Chief Conductor, we begin a new and important chapter in our history. She has rapidly established herself as a unique Norwegian conductor, with a career that already encompasses leading orchestras in Europe and the United States. The strong artistic connection that the Bergen Philharmonic felt when working with Tabita proved a decisive factor in her appointment. The advisory vote among the musicians gave us clear feedback: here is a conductor alongside whom the orchestra wishes to develop in coming years.” 

Berglund launches the Bergen Philharmonic’s 26/27 season on 27 and 28 August 2026, with a wide-ranging programme that includes Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2, the world premiere of Composer-in-Residence Ørjan Matre’s Percussion Concerto, and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres for celli – in which Berglund joins the orchestra’s cello section – among other works. She returns for two more subscription weeks in addition to leading the orchestra on tour around Germany and Belgium in February 2027. 26/27 also marks the continuation of her Principal Guest tenures with Dresdner Philharmonie and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, alongside many guest engagements with other leading orchestras.