Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud draws audiences in with his sweet tone, beautiful expression, and impressive virtuosity. He is the artistic director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music and the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra. Kraggerud has performed with major orchestras around the world and is developing his career as a conductor and director, taking on roles with ensembles like the Britten Sinfonia. He maintains an active performing schedule both as a soloist and chamber musician, appearing at festivals internationally and recording extensively.

1. Henning Kraggerud Biography
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Henning Kraggerud
Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud is an artist of exquisite musicianship, who combines an
unusually sweet tone and beauty of expression with impressive virtuosity, drawing audiences and critics
alike towards the genuine quality of his playing.
Henning is co-Artistic Director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music, a post he took over from Leif
Ove Andsnes in 2011. From September 2012, Henning is Artistic Director of the Tromsø Chamber
Orchestra.
In February 2012, Henning stepped in at late notice to perform two concertos with the Philharmonia
Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko. These performances, including London’s Royal Festival Hall,
represented Henning’s debut with the orchestra and earned him 5-star praise in the national press.
Highlights of the current season include returns to the London Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras, and
debuts with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and Poznan Philharmonic under Christopher Hogwood.
Henning also returns to the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and to the Orchestre National
Bordeaux-Aquitaine at the special invitation of Kwamé Ryan, to celebrate the opening of the city’s new
hall.
Future plans for Henning include returns to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, RTE National Symphony
and an invitation to Copenhagen with the Danish National Symphony after Henning’s critically acclaimed
performance with the orchestra at London’s BBC Proms. Henning will also make his debuts with the
Nuremberg Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Taiwan National Symphony.
A favourite with audiences in the US and Canada, Henning has worked with the Detroit Symphony under
Peter Oundjian and the Seattle Symphony under Vassily Sinaisky, as well as the Baltimore, Atlanta and
Toronto Symphony orchestras. Last season he performed with the Cincinnati Symphony and as soloist
and conductor with both the Pacific and Vancouver Symphony orchestras. In Summer 2012, Henning
makes his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.
The play/directing element of Henning’s career is fast developing as he proves his exceptional talent in
this role. In 2009, he stepped in at late notice to play/direct the Britten Sinfonia at the City of London
Festival; such was his success that he undertakes his third major international tour with the ensemble this
season. Other play/direct performances have included the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the Orpheus
Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall where Henning was hailed by the New York Times for his “sweet,
polished sound” and the “melting beauty” of his playing. This season, Henning works as guest director
with the Basel Chamber Orchestra and has also been invited in this capacity to the Vienna Chamber
Orchestra.
With a strong Scandinavian profile, Henning continues to work extensively in his home region, including
recent concerts with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra with Jukka
Pekka Saraste. He has maintained frequent collaborations with the Helsinki and Oslo Philharmonic and
the Norwegian chamber orchestras, as well as strong links with many of the Norwegian festivals.
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2. Henning Kraggerud Biography
by IMG Artists - IMG Artists
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With his strong commitment to chamber music, Henning performs both on violin and viola at the major
international festivals; recent collaborations have included a ‘Szymanowski Focus’ at London’s Wigmore
Hall and New York’s Zankel Hall curated by Piotr Anderszewski, and performances at the Verbier
Festival with Joshua Bell, Leonidas Kavakos and Martha Argerich. Last season, Henning appeared at the
Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival and the Seoul Spring Festival among others. This
season he joins musical colleagues at the Rio International Chamber Music Week in Brazil and the
Stavanger International Chamber Music Festival. Along with Imogen Cooper and Adrian Brendel he
appears at LSO St Luke’s in the BBC’s chamber concert series.
Last season saw Henning’s recital debut in Tokyo, where he played the complete unaccompanied Violin
Sonatas by Ysaÿe; a performance he repeated at the Cheltenham Festival in July 2012. Henning has
recorded all these works for Simax for which he received the prestigious Spellemann CD award.
Adding to his multi-faceted career, Henning is an innovative improviser and composer, performing many
of his own cadenzas and arrangements in concert, and several of his compositions have been performed at
festivals worldwide.
In June 2010, Henning gave the first performance of the Munch Suite for Solo Violin – a new and unique
concert project consisting of new pieces by fifteen composers from around the world. Taking place at the
Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum in Tønsberg, Norway, as part of the Vestfold International Festival, these
pieces were inspired by the works of Edvard Munch and were performed in dialogue with the paintings
themselves at an exclusive arts experience.
Henning’s most recent disc, released in June 2012, is entitled “Last Spring”, a unique collaboration on the
ACT label with Norwegian jazz pianist Bugge Wesseltoft, exploring improvisations on Norwegian folk
music with classical and jazz elements. In addition to an impressive and diverse discography, Henning
was involved in making a major television and cinema documentary about the Norwegian violin virtuoso
and composer, Ole Bull (1810-1880), released in November 2006 and more recently as an English
language version. Henning received the Ole Bull Prize in 2007.
Born in Oslo in 1973, Henning studied with Camilla Wicks and Emanuel Hurwitz. He is a recipient of
Norway's prestigious Grieg Prize and in 2007 was awarded the Sibelius Prize for his interpretations and
recording of Sibelius’ music throughout the world. Henning is a Professor at the Barratt-Due music
conservatoire in Oslo, and in April 2012 was a jury member at the Menuhin Competition in Beijing.
Henning Kraggerud plays on a 1744 Guarneri del Gesu, provided by Dextra Musica AS. This company is
founded by Sparebankstiftelsen DnB NOR.
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