In love with music and people
Tabita Berglund
Just a few years ago, Tabita Berglund was determined not to pursue a career in music. Now she is considered one of Norway’s most exciting conductors, and for the next three seasons she will serve as principal guest conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.
Chemistry is hard to put into words. It’s a kind of mutual recognition. A bond. A connection. And Tabita Berglund feels she has this with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. That is a key reason why she has signed a three-year contract as principal guest conductor.
“The musical aspect is a key part of it, but of course so is the human element. It’s about how we respond to one another and find common ground. I find that the KSO is an orchestra with a drive, an energy, and a commitment to growth that make it incredibly inspiring to work with,” she says.
The dynamics between a conductor and an orchestra may not be easy for the average person to understand. Berglund says that this interaction consists of many different elements.
Real-time management
– One thing is very concrete. The orchestra responds to my movements, and in that sense, it’s a form of real-time conducting. But I also respond to what they give me. I have to keep my ears wide open to perceive what they want and what they’re aiming for. And then there are some metaphysical layers, where as a conductor you might think, ‘I wish it were like this or that,’ and then it happens without you having said or done anything. That can happen with orchestras you know very well,” she says.
– Music has the power to touch the very heart of what it means to be human. Without a single word, it can change people and make a difference in their lives. There’s something magical about it, and that’s what shaped the course of my life.
Captivated and in love
Berglund was actually determined not to become a musician. That is, until she enrolled at the music conservatory in Trondheim as a cellist.
– The path my career has taken has been surprising, even to me. My plan in high school was to become a mathematician, but then I fell in love with Trondheim’s music scene—with the music, the people, and the energy that flows between them. I was captivated by the music and never looked back. Something similar happened with conducting. Suddenly, I was standing there at the audition and felt that “I can do this,” she says.
– An amazing energy
Geir Rebbestad, director of KSO, describes Berglund as a unique talent and says there was “a fantastic energy” between her and the orchestra when she Kilden visited Kilden . And Berglund is a conductor who takes music seriously. She wants to get to the heart of what she is conveying.
“I’m committed to understanding what I’m doing—with my body, my intuition, and my reason. What is the music trying to say? What does the composer want? How can I help the orchestra bring this out in the best possible way? To know that, I have to get to know the musicians as well as possible,” she says. And she quotes Mother Teresa.
– She was scheduled to give a talk at a leadership conference once, and when she walked onto the stage, she introduced herself and said only this: “Do you know your people? Do you love them?” That was the entire talk. For me, it has become a kind of guiding principle.
– To be a good leader, you have to know the people you lead and care about them.
"To be a good leader, you have to know the people you lead and care about them," says Berglund, adding that this fits well with her long-term plans for KSO.
“As a conductor, it’s a great privilege to be able to work with them over such a long period of time. Usually, you move to a new city and a new orchestra every week, but here I have the opportunity to build a long-term relationship and invest more in it over the long term. I’m really looking forward to it,” she says.
Straight to the heart
The 32-year-old notes that Kilden “a fantastic venue” with an auditorium that works well with the orchestra. And she looks forward to sharing great musical experiences with concertgoers in Southern Norway in the years to come.
– One of the reasons music is so important to me is that it gives us access to parts of the human experience that no other art form or means of communication can. Music has the power to touch the very heart of what it means to be human. Without a single word, it can change people and make a difference in their lives. There’s something magical about that, and it set the course for my life. If I hadn’t been so deeply moved by music, I would never have worked in this field. I want the audience to have that same experience. I want them to think or feel something they’ve never felt before—something that might become important in their lives. I wish that for everyone.
- Next concert with Tabita Berglund: Musical Resistance
- Listen to the podcast with Tabita Berglund (Spotify)
- Tabita Berglund is the new principal guest conductor
Text: Jan Frantzen
Photos: Nikolaj Lund and Lars Gunnar Liestøl