CHRISTIAN LINDBERG - A LIVING LEGEND
Friday 22.05.2026 at 7pm Kuopio Music Centre Concert Hall
“Greatest Brass Player in History”
6 pm Hall of Light
INTERVIEW:
CHRISTIAN LINDBERG
Interviewer: Osmo Tapio Räihälä
The event is open to everyone
Free entry
Approximately 6.40 pm Hall of Light
Trombone students from the Kuopio Conservatory will perform
7 pm Concert Hall
CHRISTIAN LINDBERG – A LIVING LEGEND
“Dreams, Creatures and the Trombone Unleashed”
Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Christian Lindberg, conductor and trombone soloist
Per Egland: Un Diablo Dormido
Jan Sandström: Sueños Macabros
Andrea Tarrodi: Camelopardalis
Christian Lindberg: Mandrake in the Corner
Christian Lindberg, a living trombone legend and one of the most significant reformers of classical brass music, arrives in May for his first visit to Finland as part of his 50th artistic anniversary celebrations — and as the eagerly awaited guest star of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music evening.
Christian Lindberg is a Swedish trombonist, conductor, and composer. In his hands, the trombone surpasses its traditional role, bringing together unique virtuosity with new theatrical energy, surprising stage elements, and humor. He has had an exceptional career as a soloist, recorded over 70 albums, and commissioned and premiered a large amount of new music for the trombone. In an international vote, he received the title “Greatest Brass Player in History,” reflecting his unique impact on the world of brass instruments.
This unique visit and evening of wonderful contemporary music begins with an interview in the Kuopio Music Centre Hall of Light. Lindberg will be interviewed by Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä, who has addressed the nature of contemporary music in his Finlandia Prize–winning book Why Is Contemporary Music So Difficult? (2021). The interview is open to everyone and free of charge.
The evening culminates in a concert where Lindberg appears in two roles — as the soloist and the conductor. This program brings together four Swedish composers who share long friendships and a deep artistic history with Christian Lindberg, who conducts the music. Having worked closely with each of these composers over many years, Lindberg knows these works not as distant interpretations, but as living musical conversations. The titles point toward imagined worlds: dreams that turn dark, creatures both mythical and celestial, and figures that linger just outside the light. Across the program, the trombone moves far beyond its traditional role, becoming a voice for character, color, and narrative. Humor is present, but so is precision; fantasy, but also clarity of form.
Duration approx. 1 hour, no intermission.
Produced by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Tickets: 25,60 € / 20,60 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 10,60 € children under the age of 16 and students and young people under the age of 20
