Tom Ottar Andreassen

Flute player Tom Ottar Andreassen grew up in Moelv with an elder brother who played the organ.

− My brother introduced me to the vast world of music at an early age, through concerts and listening to recordings, he says.

− In addition, I was lucky, and had the opportunity to study with Torkil Bye from the Philharmonic when I was only thirteen.

− I like being challenged

Aside from Torkil Bye, Ørnulf Gulbransen came to be the one to have the greatest influence on Tom Ottar as a flute player.

− They were two vastly different personalities, but complemented each other well. My time as a flute player in the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra with Iona Brown as a leader was also a very important period in my development as a musician.

After longer periods in the Opera Orchestra and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra he was engaged by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014.

− I have a relatively short career as a permanent employee of the orchestra, but have been substituting here since 1983. Tours and concerts with Mariss Jansons, where we played Bruckner’s Seventh symphony, Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe, and Mahler, were watershed moments for a young flute player.

In his work as a musician, being challenged is what brings him the most satisfaction:

− I very much look forward to stretching myself as far as possible with my colleagues so that the audience will have a great concert experience. I also enjoy being challenged repeatedly, week after week, with new programmes.

− There are many works I look forward to

Tom Ottar is fond of a lot of different types of music, and now looks forward to new types of music experiences with the Oslo Philharmonic:

− As I have been playing for ten years in the Opera, and for over twenty years with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, it’s a great experience for me to finally be able to play symphonic music in a large format: the symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms, Strauss and Mahler, Ravel and Debussy, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich … there are many works I have yet to play, which I am looking forward to.

Tom Ottar often teaches, in his role as professor at Norges Musikkhøgskole next to his job in the orchestra, and has a busy working life, but makes time for outdoor pursuits.

− I’ve become very fond of skiing, and do it in summer as well as in winter. I think it’s a great way to keep in shape, so I take some trips in the winter. I also like going to the mountains with family and friends to my cabin in Hallingdal.