Thomas wants to give something back
[ultimate_spacer height=»60″ height_on_tabs=»40″ height_on_mob=»40″]Thomas Hansen er fast slagverker i KSO. Han dirigerer tre korps på fritida, ikke ulikt mange andre Kilden-musikere.
It’s not just in konsertsalen Kilden can enjoy the exceptional expertise of the 70 full-time musicians on the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra’s permanent staff. Out in clubs and associations, choirs and bands, you’ll find many of them on weeknights and weekends—highly educated individuals with a passion for the vibrant music scenes across Agder.
“I think it might have something to do with the spirit of community service that many of us grew up with,” says timpanist Thomas Hansen. If you go to a concert with the KSO, you’ll find him behind the timpani or, occasionally, another percussion instrument. When you stand in the city center on May 17th and watch the parade, you might hear one of the bands he conducts playing “The New Orleans March” by John Philip Sousa.
Janissary and school band
“Many of us professional musicians got our start in marching bands, just as I did,” says the outgoing and cheerful enthusiast, who conducts both the school marching band and the junior marching band at Torridal. He also serves as conductor of the Vennesla Marching Band, an amateur marching band for adults.
“I started playing the clarinet in the school band in Sarpsborg, where I’m from, and then I switched to the drums,” Hansen says. He transferred to the adult band at the age of thirteen, and after graduating from high school at Foss, he went on to the Eastern Norway Conservatory of Music, now known as the Norwegian Academy of Music.
“That’s when I really got into percussion,” he says. There was never any doubt that he wanted to be a musician, even though many people thought he was heading for an uncertain future.
– We usually say that if there’s anything else you can do, you should do that instead. That is, if you don’t feel you have to become a musician. I was lucky and got a spot in the Division Band in Halden in 1993, and the following year a position opened up in the Division Band in Kristiansand. With the exception of six months in the U.S. in 1997 at the Los Angeles Music Academy, Hansen has worked full-time as an orchestral musician and been involved in band activities in Southern Norway. He was part of the merger of the Halden Division Band and the Kristiansand Chamber Orchestra, which became the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in 2003.
Lowers the threshold
– It’s important that we, as professional musicians, give something of ourselves back to the local community. I had an incredibly talented teacher in Halden, and it’s really fun to give something back. I’d love to do that. Besides, I think it’s important for people to get to know us in the orchestra beyond just seeing us in tuxedos on the podium. It’s important that there isn’t too much of a distance between us. Hege Haugum, director of the Torridal School Band, can’t praise highly enough the efforts that Thomas Hansen and the other KSO musicians put into amateur music.
– We rely on him completely, and he and his colleagues provide absolutely fantastic instruction to our kids. It’s a real treat when the kids perform at Kilden. They point up at the orchestra and exclaim, “We know him!” Then the kids flock around Thomas, who isn’t exactly known for being a reserved band conductor.
Social Cohesion
“Thomas is always on the kids’ side, right there with them. It’s wonderful to see the chemistry they have during practices and gatherings, and we really wouldn’t have managed without passionate people like him,”she says proudly.
Hansen brushes off the flattery:
– For my part, I feel like I’m contributing a lot and getting so much in return. Even though I get paid to be a band conductor, this is a hobby. And it’s not just the rehearsals, the progress, and the concerts that are important to me, but also the social aspect, the trips, and the camaraderie. The students describe Thomas as a witty and capable leader, and they look forward to rehearsals with him. He has a pocket full of jokes and anecdotes, and sometimes it’s hard to stay serious in the ranks.
“You have to realize that many of the kids in the marching band are also doing well in school. Music and math, in particular, go hand in hand,” he says with a wink.
Thomas Hansen
Born: Sarpsborg
Resides in: Torridal
Graduated from the Eastern Norway Conservatory of Music (Norwegian Academy of Music)
Principal Timpanist with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra
Conducts: Torridal School Band, Torridal Janissary Band, and Vennesla Band
Occasionally also: Jazz drummer in various bands