Christian Lindberg

Christian Lindberg
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Background information
Birth name	Christian Lindberg
Born	(1958-02-15)February 15, 1958 (age 56) Danderyd, Sweden
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Trombonist, conductor, composer
Instruments	Trombone
Years active	1980-present
Labels	BIS Records
Associated acts	Jan Sandström
Website	www.tarrodi.se/cl/
Notable instruments
Conn 88H-CL Trombone

Christian Lindberg (born 15 February 1958) is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer, born in Danderyd. He is widely considered as one of the best trombonists of all time and the first one to maintain a successful full-time performing career as a soloist.

Biography

Early life and career

As a youth Lindberg learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombone at age 17. He originally borrowed a trombone to join his friends' Dixieland jazz group, inspired by records of Jack Teagarden. He attended the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, where his teachers included Sven-Erik Eriksson. By age 19, he had obtained a professional position in the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra. At age 20, he left his orchestral career behind to study to become a full-time soloist. He studied with John Iveson at the Royal College of Music (1979–1980) and with Ralph Sauer and Roger Bobo in Los Angeles (1983).

Professional career

In 1981, Lindberg won the Nordic Soloists' Biennale competition. His concert debut was in 1984 with the Trombone Concerto by Henri Tomasi. That same year, he signed a 3-CD recording contract with BIS Records. His first solo recording was "The Virtuoso Trombone". Lindberg has recorded over 60 albums, for BIS and other labels such as Onyx. His musical collaborators in Sweden have included pianist Roland Pöntinen and composer Jan Sandström.

Lindberg is particularly noted for his performances of contemporary music, as well as expanding the repertoire of concerti for trombone. In 2006, he estimated that over the prior 25 years, composers wrote 82 works for him. Lindberg was the soloist in the premiere of Sandström's Motorbike Concerto. In addition to the Sandström, his repertoire includes Luciano Berio’s Sequenza V, Fredrik Högberg’s The Ballad of Kit Bones and Su ba do be.

Lindberg began to compose in the 1990s at the encouragement of Sandström. Lindberg's first-performed work was Arabenne for trombone and strings, recorded in 1997. Other compositions have included Mandrake in the Corner, Chick 'a' bone Checkout, from 2006 and written for Charles Vernon of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Kundraan (2008).

In 2000, Lindberg made his conducting debut with the Northern Sinfonia in the UK. He has regularly conducted the Nordic Chamber Orchestra and the Swedish Wind Ensemble. He is currently principal conductor of the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra, and is contracted to the orchestra until 2014.

Personal life

He and his wife have four children.

Discography

• The Virtuoso Trombone (1984)
• The Romantic Trombone (1985)
• The Burlesque Trombone (1986)
• The Criminal Trombone (1987)
• Romantic Trombone Concertos (1988)
• The Winter Trombone (1988)
• The Solitary Trombone (1988)
• Trombone Odyssey (1990)
• The Russian Trombone (1991)
• The Sacred Trombone (1991)
• American Trombone Concertos (1993)
• 10 Year Jubilee (1993)
• Aho: Symphony No.9; Cello Concerto (1993)
• All the Lonely People (1994)
• Hovhaness: Star Dawn (1994)
• Arabenne and Other Trombone Concerts From the North (1995)
• Hekas (1996)
• Christian Lindberg: Songs for Sunset (1996)
• American Trombone Concertos, Vol. 2 (1996)
• Windpower (1996)
• Vagn Holmboe: Brass Concertos (1997)
• Lindberg Plays Sandström (1997)
• Mozart: Hornbone Concertos (1998)
• Los Bandidos: The Criminal Trombone No. 2½ (1998)
• Lindberg & Friends Play Lindberg (2000)
• Mandrake in the Corner (2002)
• Turnage: Fractured Lines (2002)
• Classical Concertos (2004)
• Christian Lindberg Conducts the Swedish Wind Ensemble (2004)

• Christian Lindberg: A Composer's Portrait (2005)
• Christian Lindberg Plays Nathaniel Shilkret (2005)
• Dedicated to Christian Lindberg (2007)
• Nordic Showcase (2007)
• John Pickard: The Flight of Icarus; The Spindle of Necessity; Channel Firing (2008)
• A Composers Portrait: Christian Lindberg, Vol. 2 (2008)
• Made in Sweden (2008)
• Allan Pettersson: Eight Barefoot Songs; Concertos Nos 1 & 2 for String Orchestra (2009)
• The Baroque Trombone (2009)
• Dvorák: Violin Concerto; Legends, Op. 59 (2010)
• Allan Pettersson: Concerto No. 3 for String Orchestra (2010)
• Trombone Fantasy (2011)
• Niels Marthinsen: Snapshot Symphony (2011)
• Christian Lindberg Conducts Jan Sandström (2011)
• Ole Olsen: Symphony No. 1; Trombone Concerto; Asgaardsreien (2011)
• Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (2011)
• A Lindberg Extravaganza (2011)
• Brain Rubbish (2012)
• Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 6 (2012)
• La Création du Monde (2013)
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Swan Lake Suite (2013)
• Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 9 (2013)
• Tangophoria (2014)
• Allan Pettersson: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 16 (2014)
• Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 13 (2015)

Notable concerto premieres

• Gunnar de Frumerie – Trombone Concerto (1987)
• Jan Sandström – Motorbike Concerto (1989)
• Iannis Xenakis – Troorkh (1991)
• Anders Hillborg – Trombone Concerto (1993)
• Toru Takemitsu – Fantasma / Cantos II
• Jan Sandström – Don Quixote (1994)
• Arvo Pärt – An den Wassern (1996)

• Dominic Muldowney – Trombone Concerto (1996)
• Pär Lindgren – Islands (1997)
• Michael Nyman – Trombone Concerto (1997)
• Luciano Berio – Solo for Trombone and Orchestra (1999)
• Christian Lindberg – Helikon Wasp (2003)
• Mark Anthony Turnage – Yet Another Set To (2005)

External links

• Christian Lindberg's official website
• BIS Records biography of Lindberg
• Edition Tarrodi, publisher of Lindberg’s compositions and arrangements
• Christian Lindberg interview by Bruce Duffie
• Christopher Thomas, MusicWeb International interview with Christian Lindberg, 8 May 2008

Preceded by (no predecessor)

Principal Conductor, Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra 2009–present

Succeeded by incumbent