− I was 14 and had been at a summer orchestra course. One day in the middle of a rehearsal, it just came to me, bang: This idea that I must do this for the rest of my life. I decided right there that I would focus everything on becoming a musician. I never really looked back.

Glenn Lewis Gordon

Glenn Lewis Gordon got unexpected help from a bassist on TV when he had to choose between the violin and the double bass:

− I chose the violin first and the double bass as backup. The night before I had to make my final decision I saw Ray Brown, a famous jazz bassist, on TV. I changed my mind right there. I´m very glad I did. The violin is such a wonderful instrument but I just love making bass sounds so much more.

Glenn remembers quite well the moment he decided that music would be his profession:

− I never really saw any other option. I had toyed around with the idea of nuclear physicis or astronomy, but I knew I was so in love with playing, that I never gave anything else a real thought. I was 14 and had been at a summer orchestra course. One day in the middle of a rehearsal, it just came to me, bang: This idea that I must do this for the rest of my life. I decided right there that I would focus everything on becoming a musician. I never really looked back.

His parents fortunately supported his decision:

− I owe my parents a lot. They were so supportive of my choice to become a musician. I really don´t think I could have started this journey without their initial support. For that I am forever grateful.

A huge fan of Bruckner

Glenn joined Oslo Philharmonic in 1995. His greatest memory with the orchestra is playing Bruckner’s seventh symphony at the Musikverein in Wien with Mariss Jansons.

− I am a huge fan of Bruckner, so much so that I won´t listen to his works too much for fear of becoming tired of it. I know it sounds weird but that´s the way it is for me. I was very fortunate to be able to spend my first years in Oslo Philharmonic with Mariss Jansons. There are few conductors like him.

These days Glenn spends as much time as possible with his wife and toddler son. He also enjoys hiking:

− I always loved being in the forest. That was one of the reasons I left my job in Spain to come to Norway − because of the access to nature. My wife and I have been hiking for many years and hope to finish our hike of the Rondane trail, which we started some time ago. We are a little over halfway now. When we started, it was just the two of us, but now we will be three when we finish.