The Norwegian bassoonist, Dag Jensen, began bassoon lessons at the age of 11 with Robert Rönnes. He later studied with Torleiv Nedberg at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He won his first orchestral position with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 16 and was promoted to co-principal of the same orchestra soon after. He continued to study with Professor Klaus Thunemann in Hannover. Jensen won a first prize at the Norwegian Youth Music Competition and twice won the coveted ARD Music Competition in Munich, in 1984 and 1990.
Dag Jensen was Principal Bassoonist of the Bamberger Symphoniker from 1985 to 1988 and held the same position in the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra) from 1988 to 1997. He is a member of the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra and the Mito Chamber Orchestra, both with Seiji Ozawa as Artistic Director. Jensen was the Principal Bassoonist when Claudio Abbado founded the Luzern Festival Orchestra in 2003.
His numerous solo appearances with renowned orchestras including, among many others, Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and SWR Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Mito Chamber Orchestra, Japan, Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Academica Salzburg, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn and Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, with conductors like Seiji Ozawa, Sandor Vegh, Serge Baudo and Iona Brown have taken him throughout Europe and Japan.
Chamber music plays an important part in Dag Jensen’s musical life, and he is a member of the Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble and of the Ensemble Villa Musica, and is a regular guest at several music festivals, including the Schubertiade in Feldkirch, Austria, Spannungen in Heimbach and Glasbemi September in Maribor, Slovenia.
His artistic career is well documented on CD, with piano accompaniment as well as chamber music works and bassoon concertos.
Dag Jensen has been Professor at the Hanover Academy of Music and Theatre since 1997. |