− I feel incredibly privileged to have a job like this. I look forward to going to work every day!
Arild Solum grew up in Namdalen, and his father was a well-trained amateur violinist. His father had been taught by Øivind Fjeldstad (one of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra’s former chief conductors) in Oslo, and gave lessons to the young, aspiring violinists in the area.
− There was a lot of music at home; my father and grandfather played the violin, my mother played the piano, and my uncle was a professional pianist, says Arild Solum.
− When I was in my teens, two professional violinists from Namdalen had become well-established, and they had been taught by my father. So, becoming a musician didn’t exactly come out of the blue. I decided to try to become a violinist when I was sixteen or seventeen, and set off to Oslo to study there.
− I look forward to going to work every day
Music studies in both Stockholm and in Geneva followed. He was engaged by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1976.
− This is a fantastic job, I have amazing colleagues, and this is a magnificent orchestra with a good atmosphere. I feel incredibly privileged to have a job like this. I look forward to going to work every day!
Defining a great concert experience is quite a complex affair for Arild, and he finds it difficult to determine in hindsight what made a concert extra special.
− It was a great experience when we were in Salzburg and played Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. Many people have talked about that experience later − but it’s hard to know if it is because it was an especially good concert, or because there were other factors at play.
− My job is my hobby
Arild Solum is today the longest-serving member of the orchestra. The orchestra has become larger since he started, but he thinks the orchestra has devoloped in many ways:
− 20 years with a conductor like Jansons has formed the orchestra very solidly.
Arild doesn’t have any special interests outside music.
− I’m afraid I’m not a hobby kind of guy! My job is my hobby, and I don’t have time for much else. If you want to be well-prepared for a concert, you have to spend time on it. But I do like doing things outdoors, in my garden, for instance.