Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (BFO)

The collaboration started with an award of NOK 14.8 million for artistic development in the period leading up to the orchestra’s 250th anniversary in 2015 and the establishment of a digital concert hall. The collaboration was renewed in 2016 for a new five-year period with an award of NOK 11 million in funding for the orchestra’s artistic and dissermination activities, including
re-appointment of Chief Conductor Edward Gardner and Digital Concert Hall.

In 2022 the Foundation awarded 20 MNOK for the project “Bergenphilive goes 4K” for the period 2023-2027. This allocation will help to raise the artistic and technical quality of the orchestra’s dissemination activities in its digital concert hall Bergenphillive.

Through its involvement, the Foundation wishes to strengthen Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra’s artistic and outreach activities. The orchestra’s CEO Bernt E Bauge has the following comment:

‘The generous support from the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation has made a both stimulating and decisive contribution to the orchestra’s activities in connection with events marking its anniversary in recent years. The support has enabled us to establish a streaming service for classical music – Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall. The service, which is the first of its kind in Norway, has in a short space of time won a big audience and has an even greater potential. The support has contributed to further raising the quality of the soloists who perform with the orchestra, and it has ensured that our guest pianists have a first-class concert grand to play on. All these things have been decisive contributions to the orchestra’s international focus and reputation.’