Biography

Ingunn Korsgård Hagen has quickly established herself as an exciting new talent on Norway’s conducting scene, working with orchestras such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with soloists including Leif Ove Andsnes, Anastasia Kobekina, Guro Kleven Hagen, Tine Thing Helseth, Victoria Randem, and Hedvig Haugerud. This season she makes her debuts with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

From 2023 to 2025 she was Assistant Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, assisting Edward Gardner in his final years as Chief Conductor, First Guest Conductor Sir Mark Elder and a number of other distinguished guest conductors. She quickly built trust and formed a strong relationship with the orchestra, becoming the assistant conductor who has conducted the largest number of concerts in that role. During her tenure she collaborated with soloists including Augustin Hadelich, when she conducted in a rehearsal at the Elbphilharmonie during their tour, and assisted in productions featuring soloists such as Isabelle Faust, Lise Davidsen, Sir Bryn Terfel, and James Ehnes to name a few.

Working closely with Edward Gardner and assisting on large-scale works such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Strauss’ Elektra, and Puccini’s Tosca sparked a strong interest in opera, and she has since assisted productions with the Royal Danish Opera and the Bergen National Opera, as well as conducting her own opera projects at the Kirsten Flagstad Festival and Interpuls Festival.

Ingunn is a member of Dirigentforum, Talent Norway’s elite programme for conductors, and has through the program assisted Daniel Harding with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and taken part in masterclasses with the Oslo Philharmonic and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Klaus Mäkelä and Sakari Oramo. She has also participated in several international academies and festivals, including the Fiskars Summer Festival with mentors Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Eva Ollikainen, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the Gstaad Conducting Academy with mentors Jaap van Zweden and Johannes Schlaefli.

Active beyond the classical stage, Ingunn has also worked in the crossover and popular music scene, appearing in concert with artists such as Katie Melua, Sondre Lerche, Marion Ravn, Lars Vaular, Karoline Krüger, and Helge Jordal. She is passionate about creative and innovative programming and has conducted several staged concerts, where she has collaborated closely with actors, performed as an actor herself, and led performances where the musicians memorize parts of the programme to enable new possibilities for staging and movement during the concert.

Ingunn studied both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in conducting at the University of Stavanger with Bjarte Engeset, Peter Szilvay, and Trond Korsgård. During her studies she also held the position of Assistant Conductor at the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. Despite her young age, she already has a strong interest in conducting education, and has been a guest teacher in the conducting class at the University of Stavanger as well as a main teacher at the Conductor’s Week in Stavanger. This season she will be a regular guest teacher at the University of Stavanger and work as one of the main teachers in Conduct IT.