IMPACTFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR WRAPS A MAGNIFICENT EIGHT SEASON RUN WITH THE CALGARY PHIL
BY ELIZABETH CHORNEY-BOOTH
If an orchestra is more than a sum of its parts, it’s the job of its Music Director to bring all the key elements — the musicians, the material, production staff, and even the audience — together to create moments of magic. For the past eight seasons at the Calgary Philharmonic that role has been held by Rune Bergmann, an infectiously enthusiastic Norwegian conductor. Bergmann has not just served as the face and baton waver of the Orchestra, but also as a visionary, bringing a palpable sense of energy while expanding the impact of Calgary’s premier musical institution.
Sadly, one of the most important characteristics of such a forward-thinking artist is the ability to know when it’s time to move on and make room for someone new. While this is Bergmann’s last season as Music Director, he’s going out with a bang. The 2024/2025 season has been particularly successful both artistically and commercially, seeing record breaking ticket sales and scores of new concertgoers. Bergmann will cap off this triumphant final run with two performances of Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony on 30 and 31 May, featuring the Philharmonic’s full Orchestra and Chorus as well as the voices of soprano Jacquelyn Wagner and mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland.
“We have been through a lot in these nine years,” Bergmann says, noting he led the Orchestra through the period of the pandemic. “They’ve been very important years but also challenging years. But I think everything happens for a reason. Now it’s time to pass on the baton and for the Orchestra to start its next journey.”
While he had previously never imagined himself leading an orchestra in a Western Canadian city, he gleefully took on the job in 2016 with one goal in mind: to help put the Calgary Philharmonic on the map globally. Bergmann’s charm is rooted in his deep optimism — while he knew catching the attention of the world was a tall order, his personality doesn’t allow for anything less than a ‘shoot for the stars’ approach, which naturally trickled through the rest of the organization and eventually to audiences as well.
“If you aim only to play for Calgary and only make Calgarians happy, we can’t succeed,” he says. “The Calgary Philharmonic is an internationally high-level orchestra. If the world starts talking about Calgary, then Calgary will talk more about itself.”
During his tenure as Music Director, Bergmann also held roles as the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor at Poland’s Szczecin Philharmonic and Chief Conductor at Argovia Philharmonic and guest conducted with multiple orchestras around the world. “It has been very important to travel to other places and get inspired,” he says. “For me to be able to be relevant and fresh and to bring Calgary something special, I needed to be elsewhere part of the time.”
Over the last nine years, Bergmann has been instrumental in building the Calgary Phil’s audience, which he views as being younger and more energized than typical symphony patrons. Much of this growth has been through the material he brings to the Orchestra, embracing unexpected pop and rock pieces while also creating excitement for lesser-known composers in budding classical fans.
Beyond the music, Bergmann also helped transform the Orchestra’s audience early in the game by live streaming select Calgary Phil concerts to music lovers around the world, beginning in 2017 — well before the pandemic — with a concert with Yo-Yo Ma, one of classical music’s most recognizable names. While it’s no longer uncommon for traditional arts organizations to share content online, the move somewhat novel for a symphony orchestra at the time. Of course, the innovation put Bergmann well towards his goal of putting the Calgary Phil in front of international audiences and has since been adopted by other orchestras around the world.
“We have to accept that technology is here to stay,” Bergmann says. “If we hadn’t started the live streams, we wouldn’t have been able to grow as an organization, musically or with our audience.”
As successful and well-received as his time in Calgary has been, Bergmann is one to stay true to his principles and knew that staying too long would kill the spirit of inspiration and consistent growth he holds so dear. So, as his current contract comes to an end, he’s preparing his swan song. Mahler has long been a favourite composer of his and rather than simply choosing a piece himself, he gave in to a flood of requests from within the organization to bring back Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (also known as Mahler’s Resurrection), which he first led the Orchestra through in 2019. Considered by many to be one of the highlights from his eight seasons in Calgary, it’s also a suitable finale from an artistic perspective. Bergmann’s love of Mahler is well-documented and the scope and majesty of the composition matches his boisterous demeanor and zest for life.
“It’s the perfect ending for all of us,” he says. “We are ending all together on stage with the Chorus and Orchestra, repeating one of the biggest successes we had during those nine years. It’s just a fantastic piece.”
Bergmann will undoubtedly continue to be an in-demand conductor and may even return to the Calgary Phil at some point for a guest appearance. One thing is for sure: the effect of his legacy on the Calgary Phil and Calgary arts culture in general has been immeasurable. And, it seems, we’ve rubbed off on him too.
“It’s been an honour and a pleasure, and I will absolutely miss so many things here,” he says. “I will really miss the audience. Everybody comes to the concerts with open arms and open ears and open eyes and have been a big part of the journey.”
