Christian Lindberg

From Wind Repertory Project
Christian Lindberg

Biography

Christian Lindberg (b. 15 February 1958, Danderyd, Sweden) is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer.

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).

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. 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).

Lindberg’s philosophy regarding his work as a composer is simple: “I do not write in any style whatsoever(!). I just listen to what my brain and my soul tell me, and what I hear I simply put down on paper. To say anything more about my work would be pretentious nonsense.”

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.


Works for Winds


Resources