Conductor - Oboist - Arranger
Biography
Jarl Eivind Aspen has worked for many years as a professional oboe player as his primary occupation. As an orchestral player he was early noticed for his ability to lead his section through his playing and music making. Always with score in hand, he had a remarkable grasp of musical works, the orchestra and various styles. With only the oboe as his tool, he still had a powerful ability to inspire and influence his colleagues to follow his ideas. In the end, his journey to the podium is not at all that surprising.
In 2020, after taking a one-year course in Ensemble Conducting with Sigmund Thorp, Aspen was accepted as a master student in conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Prof. Ole Kristian Ruud. Aspen finished his studies in June 2022 making his debut concert with the Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In June 2023 Aspen had his first meeting with the legendary Prof. Jorma Panula at Nordic Masterclass in Denmark, which had a great impact on Aspens development. Since, he has regularly participated at the Panula Academy in Helsinki. Also this year he is accepted to the Nordic Masterclass. Other significant masterclasses has been with teachers such as Prof. Nicolas Pasquet, Maestro Lior Shambadal and Prof. Mark Heron. In addition, Aspen was awarded with a mentorship from «Norsk Tonekunstnersamfund» in 2024, where Aspen chose conductor Peter Sebastian Szilvay as his mentor.
Aspens repertoire focuses on Nordic and English composers, and a particular interest of his is to uncovering the performing styles of the music surrounding the time of the composer. As a student of Prof. Ruud, Aspen built a strong catalogue of Norwegian music in particular, but also other central Nordic composers. Now, as a student of Panula, Aspen is systematically working through the works of Jean Sibelius. In addition Aspen has always had a special fondness for English music, which was included in his debut the the Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra with nothing less than Ralph Vaughan Williams 5th Symphony. From the English music one also discovers a surprisingly vast recorded legacy of orchestral music from the beginning of the 20th century, allowing one to uncover practices that otherwise would have been lost to us. How Aspen adopts this knowledge and brings it to use today can be heard on his recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams 5th Symphony, an interpretation which is greatly influenced by stylistic traits found on the first recorded performances of the Symphony, by the composer himself, Sir John Barbirolli and Sir Adrian Boult. Check it out in the media section!