Björn Nyman
Artist profile
Solo clarinettist of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Instrument
B♭/A clarinet Zenit
Quotation
“A big part of my inspiration playing clarinet comes from searching for sound colors. In Uebel I have found a great partner that really inspires me.
In addition, the evenness of the registers and the great response makes it a very versatile instrument.”
Biography
Björn Nyman is a Finnish clarinetist and one of the foremost clarinetists of his generation in the Nordic region. He is highly sought after as both a chamber musician and a soloist. Currently, he holds the position of principal clarinetist with both the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
Nyman has been a prizewinner in two of the most prestigious international clarinet competitions: the ARD Competition in Munich in 2003 and the Carl Nielsen competition in Odense in 2005. In both competitions, he was awarded the prize for best interpretation of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Additionally, he received the prize for best performance of the commissioned piece in the ARD competition. Nyman shared the first prize at the Crusell Clarinet Competition in 2002, as well as receiving the ConocoPhillipps Prize in the same year.
As a soloist, Nyman has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. He is also a dedicated chamber musician and has played at many of the leading festivals in Scandinavia.
At the age of 19, Nyman was appointed as principal clarinetist with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, and he has also held the position of principal clarinetist in the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under the batons of conductors such as Pierre Boulez and Claudio Abbado.
Nyman received his education from several renowned institutions, including the Norwegian Academy of Music under the tutelage of Hans Christian Bræin and Leif Arne Pedersen, as well as the University of Southern California in Los Angeles under the instruction of Yehuda Gilad.
In 2021, Nyman premiered Jukka Linkola's clarinet concerto with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, following the release of his recent solo CD on the LAWO label, which includes recordings of Jan Erik Mikalsen's clarinet concerto, a piece dedicated to him.
Nyman is currently a professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music and regularly gives masterclasses internationally.