Robert Nordling is a Fulbright Specialist working with the Bandung Philharmonic in Bandung, Indonesia, in the field of music performance from November 22 to December 9, 2019.
Indonesia has a shortage of qualified orchestral conductors. This hinders the growth of musicians as individuals and orchestral ensembles as a community and stagnates the national landscape of orchestral music performance in Indonesia. The Bandung Philharmonic, now in its 5th Concert Season, embraces this challenge by inviting Fulbright Specialist, conductor Robert Nordling to model international level conducting by working hands-on with the musicians through the rehearsals and two performances of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 – Ode to Joy. Additionally, aspiring local conductors’ lack of education and training compounds this problem. The Bandung Philharmonic will approach this by hosting intensive conducting seminars and workshops taught by Robert following the performances of the orchestra.
Robert serves as the Music Director of the Bandung Philharmonic Orchestra (Indonesia), the Baroque on Beaver Island Music Festival (Northern Michigan), the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra (Chicago), and the Shoreline Music Society (Michigan). He has appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Masterworks Festival Orchestra and Chorus, Nusantara Symphony (Jakarta, Indonesia), the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute Orchestra, the Cedardell Opera Festival Orchestra, and chamber orchestras in Chicago, San Francisco, and England, and the Orquestra Juvenal de Mar del Plata(Argentina). Robert also founded and was the music director of the Bay Chamber Symphony Orchestra (San Francisco).
A sought out clinician and educator, Robert performs orchestra clinics, music educational workshops, and masterclasses in schools in the USA and abroad. He leads the Bandung Philharmonic Conducting Fellows program, which trains young Indonesian conductors in Master Class and performance. He has also served on the music faculty of the Calvin College Music Department and Trinity International University, where he conducted the orchestras and taught music history, music appreciation, and conducting.
This year, Robert continues his commitment to new music and will conduct World Premieres of commissioned works by Tony Manfredonia and Iwan Gunawan (Antewacana for gamelan and orchestra). The 2019-2020 season includes performances of Beethoven Symphony 9, Borodin Symphony 2, Mahler Songs of a Wayfarer, Sivan Eldar A Thousand Tongues, Dvorak Symphony 9, Grieg Piano Concerto, and Stravinsky L’Histoire du Soldat. This season also will see performances with soloists Kevin Cole (Gershwin Concerto in F) and Kinan Azmeh – (Azmeh Clarinet Concerto).
