“I was born in Ulaanbaatar, the world’s coldest capital. Now I commute weekly between Stockholm and my job with the Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra.”
Cello: Bekhbat Tsagaanchuluun
Meet the Musicians
I came to Sweden from Mongolia in 2008 with my wife. We both came here to study music, and now the whole family is involved in it! My wife is a pianist, my daughter also plays the piano, and my son plays the cello, just like me.
People often say that Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world; I don’t know if that’s true, but the climate there reminds me of the one here in Umeå—so I feel right at home here! My family and I live in Stockholm, and I commute weekly to my job with the symphony orchestra, where I’ve been working since 2018. I really enjoy living in Umeå—it’s a fantastic city!
I’ve been playing the cello and working as a musician my whole life. It was my preschool teacher who told my parents, “Bekhbat is a musical prodigy—enroll him in music school!” My dad made sure I started. I was 8 years old at the time. Dad loved music, and he was also the one who chose the cello for me. But for an 8-year-old, a cello is pretty big and clunky, and I actually found it really hard at first! But little by little, I started to love it. When I was little, I played a little piano and guitar, too. By the way, all string players can play the piano—that’s just how it is. But maybe not everyone knows that.
After studying at a music high school and then at the music conservatory, completing my thesis and earning my master’s degree in 2014, I first worked with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra for two years; then I applied for the position in Umeå, auditioned, and won the audition.
When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor—a surgeon, to be exact. Being a doctor is such a cool profession—one I really admire. But I ended up becoming a musician, something I’m very proud of—especially that I’ve studied and worked as hard as I have, and that it’s given me the wealth of experience I have now.
My teacher, Ola Karlsson, has had a huge influence on me as a musician; I’d say he’s one of my role models, along with the world-famous Norwegian cellist Truls Mörk. I admire him, too. In fact, he’s even played with us here in the symphony orchestra! When it comes to composers, Beethoven—and the music of that entire era—is something I’m particularly fond of. I absolutely love his Triple Concerto for piano, cello, and violin!
I think Baroque music is the most fun to play. I love Bach, especially the cello suites. I think I find them especially fun because they’re especially challenging—I like that; it’s great practice! As a cellist, I also dream of getting to play Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the orchestra and Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra. During my first year at the Norrlands Opera, we performed Verdi’s *La Traviata*, and it was an amazing production—especially for me, since I also served as section leader for the first time.
Seeing the audience enjoy themselves is the best part of my job! Being able to create something that moves the audience. It’s amazing. When you’re playing, you can also feel when it’s really good, when you’re connecting—you get that same feeling back. I once saw a world-famous cellist at the Concert Hall, and in the audience, it was his love for the audience that I felt; it wasn’t his skill or technique that I saw, but rather the emotion and love he created and was able to convey. That’s what I want to do for the audience, too.
Personal
As a person, I’m calm and patient, and I think those can be good qualities for a musician—not getting stressed out so easily.
In my free time—and especially now during the pandemic—I’m reading a lot more than usual. I also take online courses, in economics for example, because it interests me. I also play in various chamber music ensembles with my wife, Zolzaya Tserendor.
I really love classical music! We listen to it at home, too—the whole family, all the time.