Biography
Born in Sarpsborg, Norway, on February 4, 1964, Ingar Bergby grew up in a musical household and began performing on clarinet in local wind bands during his youth. He enrolled at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, where he first studied clarinet under Richard Kjelstrup before shifting focus to conducting lessons with Karsten Andersen in Oslo and Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. After earning his diploma from the Norwegian Academy in 1991, he assumed leadership roles as chief conductor of both Opera Vest, later renamed the Bergen National Opera, and the contemporary music group Bit20.
With Bit20 he made his first recording in 1997 for the Aurora label, presenting works by Edward Hagerup Bull, nephew of Ole Bull. In 1999 he took the chief conductor post with the Värmland Opera and Värmland Sinfonietta, and in 2003 he became first guest conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble while also serving as permanent guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic, overseeing its Norwegian and broader Nordic programming. Bergby has appeared as guest conductor with numerous leading Norwegian orchestras as well as groups in Iceland, Sweden, and elsewhere in Europe. Since 1993 he has maintained ongoing ties with ensembles tied to the Norwegian broadcasting network KORK, directing both crossover projects and a complete cycle of Brahms symphonies.
Appointed chief conductor of the Royal Norwegian Marines Music Corps in 2008, he moved to an equivalent position with the Norwegian Navy Music Corps in 2015; the latter ensemble released the album Symphonies of Wind Instruments under his direction in 2014. On the Lawo Classics label he has recorded Norwegian repertoire throughout the 2010s and 2020s. In 2017 he collaborated with flutist Tom Ottar Andreassen and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra on La Flûte Norvégienne, followed in 2021 by Norwegian Opera Overtures with the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra.
With Bit20 he made his first recording in 1997 for the Aurora label, presenting works by Edward Hagerup Bull, nephew of Ole Bull. In 1999 he took the chief conductor post with the Värmland Opera and Värmland Sinfonietta, and in 2003 he became first guest conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble while also serving as permanent guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic, overseeing its Norwegian and broader Nordic programming. Bergby has appeared as guest conductor with numerous leading Norwegian orchestras as well as groups in Iceland, Sweden, and elsewhere in Europe. Since 1993 he has maintained ongoing ties with ensembles tied to the Norwegian broadcasting network KORK, directing both crossover projects and a complete cycle of Brahms symphonies.
Appointed chief conductor of the Royal Norwegian Marines Music Corps in 2008, he moved to an equivalent position with the Norwegian Navy Music Corps in 2015; the latter ensemble released the album Symphonies of Wind Instruments under his direction in 2014. On the Lawo Classics label he has recorded Norwegian repertoire throughout the 2010s and 2020s. In 2017 he collaborated with flutist Tom Ottar Andreassen and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra on La Flûte Norvégienne, followed in 2021 by Norwegian Opera Overtures with the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra.
Albums
