MIC director to lead the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
New challenges for the managing director of the Music Information Centre Norway: Morten Walderhaug is to lead the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Managing director of the Music Information Centre Norway, Morten Walderhaug has been recruited to head one of the nation’s central cultural positions as head of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Walderhaug takes over the leader’s seat after deputy director Bengt Årstad.
Says the future OPO director on his new assignment: “This was an offer I couldn’t turn down; I wanted to take on the challenge of leading an international premier orchestra.”
Walderhaug has served as MIC’s director since October 2001. Prior to this, Walderhaug’s has held a number of positions ranging from the Oslo World Music Days’ festival head to director at the Culture City Bergen 2000, programme co-ordinator for the Norwegian Concert Institute in 1986 and director for the Vestfold International Festival. Walderhaug is also a trained pianist and organist, having studied at the Bergen Conservatory as well as the universities in Oslo and Bergen.
Chairman of the OPO board, Ida Børresen welcomes Walderhag to the central Oslo orchestra: “With Morten Walderhaug, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra has been presented with a visionary and skilled leader with broad experience from cultural life and with a well-developed network in Norway and abroad. He’s got competence, experience and the necessary understanding for what it means to lead such organisation as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.”
Says Walderhaug on his transition form MIC to OPO director: “I enjoy working at MIC, and I feel that the centre has had a positive development during the two years of my leadership. I had planned to stay longer though; the centre still has many exciting challenges to focus on. At the same time, this was an offer I couldn’t turn down; I wanted to take on the challenge of leading an international premier orchestra.
Walderhaug takes over the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra’s director’s chair on the 1st of August. A successor to Walderhaug has not been identified yet, and the future OPO director will not interfere in this process: “I will not take part in the process of finding a new managing director for MIC – this is a task for the board and the employees at MIC. It’s up to them to determine what profile a new director should have.”
What seems certain is that the future MIC director will have his hands full: “I have no doubt that MIC is an institution that faces major future challenges” Walderhaug concludes.
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