After his concert with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1993 the critic from The Plain Dealer wrote: "Böhn made a tour de force of the solo part, playing with intrepid power, crispness of attack and sensuous detail.” Describing the performance given by Ole Böhn in Carnegie Hall in 1992, David Schiff of The New York Times wrote: “Ole Böhn projects every nuance like a great dramatic singer.” After his New York recital in 1995, New York Times wrote: “Ole Böhn played throughout the evening with great authority and unflagging commitment."

Since his debut in 1969, Ole Böhn has performed with orchestras in Europe, the U.S.A. and South America. In 1983 he toured the Peoples Republic of China. He has collaborated with conductors such as Moshe Atzmon, Herbert Blomstedt, James Conlon, Lukas Foss, Michael Giehlen, Marek Janowski, Franz Welser-Möst, and Olliver Knussen.

Besides Elliott Carter, composers like Niels Viggo Bentzon, Noel Lee, Ib Nørholm and Arne Nordheim have written specifically for him. Ole Böhn is a great advocate of 20th and 21st century music and has become one of the leading interpreters of American contemporary music.

As a chamber musician Ole Böhn was for 12 years a member of the Trio du Nord which in 1975 won the UNESCO competition in Bratislava. Since 1997 he has been the first violinist of the Leonardo Quartet.

He is currently teaching at Barrat – Due's Music Institute in Oslo and has taught at the Royal Danish Conservatory and at the Conservatory of Music in Oslo. He has given classes at the Eastman School of Music, at Hart School of Music, The Norwegian State Academy of Music and the University of Northern Illinois. He teaches every year at the Officina da Musica de Curitiba in Brazil during the summer. Ole Böhn also acts as member of the jury in national and international competitions such as the Sparre Olsen Competition in Norway, The Grieg Society s International Competiton for String Quartet Composition, the Concert Artist Guild Competition in New York, the Canadian Music Competition in Montreal and the London International String Quartet Competition.

Ole Böhn has studied under Louise Behrend at the Juilliard School of Music, with Ernst Glaser in Oslo, Henry Holst at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, and with Max Rostal at the Statliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne.

Ole Böhn lives in Oslo in his native Norway and is the Concertmaster of the Norwegian National Opera. He has previously held a similar position with the Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra, and worked for shorter periods as concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Teatro del fenice in Venice, Theatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, the Residentie Orchestra in Den Haag and the Hamburg State Opera.

In addition to his busy life as a performing musician Ole Böhn was artistic director of the Semaine Musicale des Portes du Soleil in France and is since 1999 artistic coordinator of the summer concerts at the Vigeland Museum in Oslo. Ole Böhn is President of the National Federation of Norwegian Musical Artists and the chairman of the Nordic Soloist Council. He is a Commander of the Order of the Norwegian Artists Association.

Ole Böhn uses a violin made by Givanni Battista Guadagnini in 1766 which was acquired for his use by Christiania Bank of Norway.

Contact details and further information

E-mail Ole Böhn

For further details, see Norsk Tonekunstnersamfunds hjemmeside / National Federation of Norwegian Musical Soloists