the orchestra announced the appointment of Sir Mark Elder as its next principal guest conductor, effective 1 August 2022, with an initial contract of three years through 31 July 2025. Gardner is scheduled to conclude his tenure as chief conductor at the close of the 2023–2024 season. Many members of the orchestra teach at the Grieg Academy of Music, which is a music conservatory within the University of Bergen. Chief conductors Samuel Lind (1765–1769) Benjamin Ohle (1769–1770) Niels Haslund (1770–1785) Ole Pedersen Rødder (1785–1805) J. Hindrich Paulsen (1805–1806, 1809–1820) Mathias Lundholm (1820–1827) Ferdinand Giovanni Schediwy (1827–1844) Ferdinand August Rojahn (1856–1859) Otto Lübert (1855–1856) Ferdinand A. Rojahn (1856–1859) August Fries (1859–1862, 1864–1873) Amadeus Wolfgang Maczewsky (1862–1864) Richard Henneberg (1873–1875) Adolf Blomberg (1875–1878) Hermann Levi (1879–1880) Edvard Grieg (1880–1882) Iver Holter (1882–1886) Per Winge (1886–1888) Georg Washington Magnus (1892–1893) Johan Halvorsen (1893–1898) Christian Danning (1899–1901, 1902–1905) Harald Heide (1907–1948) Olav Kielland (1948–1952) Carl von Garaguly (1952–1958) Arvid Fladmoe (1958–1961) Karsten Andersen (1964–1985) Aldo Ceccato (1985–1990) Dmitri Kitajenko (1990–1998) Simone Young (1998–2002) Andrew Litton (2003–2015) Edward Gardner (2015–present) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra timeline 1765 – Det Musicalske Selskab (The Musical Society) established 1769 – Society renamed Det Harmoniske Selskab (The Harmonic Society) 1770 – Society has over 30 members, one-third are singers. Thursday set as concert day. 1771 – Fire destroys concert locale. 1773 – Society rents Altona as concert locale (until 1807). 1774 – Society has 20 instrumentalists, mirroring Joseph Haydn's Esterhazy orchestra of 1766 to 1790 1783 – Society engages Ole Rødder as a paid violinist. 1785 – Society's orchestra has 25 members. 1799 – Johan Henrich Poulson, student of Giovanni Battista Viotti leads orchestra. 1811 – Society buys its own building on King Oscar's street. Orchestra has c. 30 members. 1812 – Society's members give free instruction to young musicians, some of whom play in the orchestra. 1818 – violinist Ole Bull begins playing in the orchestra at age 8. 1819 – violinist Ole Bull performs Ignaz Pleyel concerto with orchestra. 1820 – Swede Mathias Lundholm becomes orchestra's conductor. 1827 – Prague-born Ferdinand Giovanni Schediwy named conductor. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven dominate orchestra's repertoire. 1839 – As a promotion, the society advertises that each man can bring two women to concerts. 1855 – Otto Lübbert becomes musical leader. 1856 – Society renamed Musikselskabet Harmonien. Ferdinand A. Rojahn named orchestra leader. First part of Haydn's "Creation" performed after over 100 rehearsals. 1859