Jakob Bangsø, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra & Kaisa Roose
Biography Jakob Bangsø, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra & Kaisa Roose
Jakob Bangsø
Award-winning classical guitarist Jakob Bangsø has established himself as one of Denmark’s most gifted and versatile instrumentalists. Active as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestra, his wide and constantly expanding repertoire ranges from early music to newly commissioned works.
A top prize winner in several international guitar competitions around Europe, the year 2014 alone saw him winning First Prize at the Berlin International Guitar Competition, First Prize and Audience Award at the Concours International de Guitare “Ville d’Antony” in Paris and First Prize at the Nordhorn International Guitar Competition in Germany. Further awards include the Second Prize at the IV Seville International Guitar Competition, Third Prize at the “José Tomás” Competition in Spain and many others.
With a keen interest in contemporary music, he continues to be involved in a number of collaborative projects with composers in Denmark and abroad, and he has premiered dozens of works. His collaboration with the Danish/American composer Wayne Siegel resulted in a soloist-led Chaconne in 2017 which he premiered with the ensemble of the Royal Library in the Queen’s Hall in Copenhagen. The same year, a larger orchestration of this concerto was premiered with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (TCO) along with the Estonian premiere of John Corigliano’s Troubadours. His commissioning of Greek/Canadian composer Constantine Caravassilis’s guitar concerto Saudade, which he premiered with the TCO in 2018, is another testament to Jakob’s sincere interest in finding unique composers that resonate with his artistic personality.
His 2018 solo album Connect (Dacapo Records) presented 5 world premiere recordings of works for guitar and electronics, written for Bangsø, by composers Tine Surel Lange, Andreja Andric, Klavs Kehlet Hansen, Wayne Siegel and Kaj Duncan David.
He has appeared with the Aarhus and Aalborg Symphonies, the Pärnu City Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the Diamond Ensemble, Orchestre Camerata Lutécia, amongst others, including performances of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, the Girard, Corigliano, Siegel and Caravassilis Concertos.
Amongst an impressive list of accolades, Bangsø was the first guitarist ever to receive the coveted Young Elite career endowment from the Danish Arts Council in 2015. Furthermore, he has been recognized with honors and awards including the 75th Anniversary Grant of the Augustinus Foundation, the Ejnar Hansen Award, the Thøger Rasmussen Memorial Award, the Makwarth’s Music Award, the Rebild Music Prize and many others.
Jakob Bangsø was born in Hjørring, Denmark, in 1988 and received his first guitar lessons at the age of 9. He completed his studies with Frederik Munk Larsen at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus and, as a recipient of the prestigious German DAAD scholarship, with Roberto Aussel at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne.
Bangsø plays on a 2015 Bogusław Teryks guitar and is endorsed by Augustine Strings.
