Two more years with Stutzmann

Principal Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann has extended her contract with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (KSO) for another two years.

The chief conductor has been working with the orchestra since 2018 and quickly became a favorite among critics and the orchestra’s ever-growing audience. Stutzmann’s contract was originally set to expire in the summer of 2021 but has now been extended through 2023.

- "This is the best Christmas present we could give to both the audience and ourselves. The orchestra has made great strides together with Nathalie in recent years, and her extension means that she sees the potential we have together. That's great," says Geir Rebbestad, Director of KSO.

Thinking long-term

The protagonist himself is also pleased with the extension of the collaboration.

- This is my Norwegian family. The orchestra is young and willing to learn, and I'm looking forward to many more years with the musicians. It gives us the opportunity to think long-term, which is a great advantage when you want to do something with an orchestra," she says.

Popular conductor

Nathalie Stutzmann was last week appointed as the first guest conductor of the prestigious American orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra. Recent highlights for Nathalie include concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Seattle Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony and Rotterdam Philharmonic.

In the coming months, she will also return to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and make her debut with the Metropolitan Opera. But already in January she will be back in Kristiansand for concerts with her KSO family.

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Learn more about Nathalie Stutzmann

Text: Kjetil Nordhus
Photos: Heida Gudmundsdottir and Lars Gunnar Liestøl