Biography

Truls Mørk (Cello)

Truls Mørk's reputation as a cellist of fierce intensity and grace has been built on performances throughout the world. He is a celebrated artist who performs with the most distinguished orchestras, including the New York, Berlin and Munich Philharmonics. Mørk's European appearances have included the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw, Staatskapelle Dresden, and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. In North America he has worked with the orchestras of Boston, Los Angeles, New York Philharmonic, Chicago, and Cleveland, amongst others.

The 2008/09 season includes performances with the Leipzig Gewandhaus/Riccardo Chailly following his highly successful tour with them in 2006, the London Philharmonic Orchestra/Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the Philadelphia Orchestra/David Zinman, NDR Hamburg/Christoph von Dohnányi and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Marek Janowski. He has also been invited to be the first Artist in Residence with the Bergen Philharmonic which will include a combination of concerto and chamber concerts. Truls Mørk will also tour to Japan where he will be soloist with the NHK Symphony/Edo de Waart, followed by concerts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Truls Mørk is a committed performer of contemporary music. In November 2008 he gives the world premiere of Lasse Thoresen's cello concerto with the Oslo Philharmonic under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Last season he made his debut with Vienna Philharmonic performing Pavel Haas' Cello Concerto and premiered John McCabe's Cello Concerto with the Hallé Orchestra under Mark Elder. Other premiere's have included Matthias Pintscher's Reflections on Narcissus with Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and on tour with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Krzysztof Penderecki's Concerto for Three Cellos with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, and Haflidi Hallgrimsson's Cello Concerto (co-commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony and Scottish Chamber Orchestras).

A dedicated chamber musician, Truls Mørk gives regular recitals around the globe and this season includes appearances at the Wigmore Hall, London; Auditorium du Louvre Paris and Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels. He will also be collaborating with Lisa Batiashvili and Hélène Grimaud with a tour encompassing Spain, Germany and the Benelux.

Truls Mørk is a Virgin Classics artist and recent recordings include Chopin's Cello Sonata together with transcriptions for cello and piano with Kathryn Stott, the Schumann Cello Concerto with Paavo Järvi and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and the complete Bach suites. In 2002 he received a Grammy Award for his Britten Cello Suites. This season will also see the release of the Brahms Double concerto with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly with Vadim Repin on the Deutsche Grammophon label and Haflidi Hallgrímsson's works for cello and orchestra for Ondine.

As part of David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich's Beethoven cycle for Arte Nova, he has recorded Beethoven's Triple Concerto alongside Gil Shaham and Yefim Bronfman, and Beethoven's Septet, with Shaham and members of the orchestra.

Initially taught the cello by his father, Truls Mørk continued his studies with Frans Helmerson, Heinrich Schiff and Natalia Schakowskaya. His numerous awards to date include the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition (1982) and the Naumburg Competition in New York (1986). Truls Mørk plays on a rare Domenico Montagnana (1723)

Updated: 01.09.2008