Malin Silbo Ohlsson

Meet the Musicians

I’ve been working at the Norrlands Opera since 1994. Even though I didn’t think back then that it would be for so many years, I’m happy and proud to have been a part of the Norrlands Opera ever since. I think it’s great that I’ve proven to myself that I can persevere, through good times and bad. It’s also enriching to work in a place with people from so many different countries. After all, applicants come here from all over the world and are willing to settle in Umeå for the sole reason that they want to work in the orchestra! I’m proud that I’m one of the few who actually secured a position in competition with so many others.

I came to Umeå for family reasons. My husband’s family is from here, and when a position opened up in the orchestra, I figured I’d give it a shot. I was just finishing my studies in Gothenburg, which is my hometown, and my son Christoffer was due to be born a month after the audition, which was in May 1993. To say the least, a lot was going on during that period of my life. Thankfully, Umeå turned out to be a great city for a family to grow up in!

I’ve grown into this profession and have been making a living as a musician more or less since I was 18. What I like best about my work—aside from my friendly and creative colleagues—is the variety in the music and the diverse days and productions!

For example, we’ve staged *Carmen* twice during my time at the Norrlands Opera. The first time, it was performed in an old sports hall in Holmsund. The orchestra was seated on a sort of platform up under the roof, and during one passage in the opera, the trumpets were supposed to sound “from afar,” or offstage. To get out there, my colleague at the time, Alf Burstedt, and I had to climb down a ladder with our trumpets raised high. At one point, the mouthpiece came loose and fell—7 meters…

Looking back now, I realize it probably wasn’t entirely in line with workplace safety regulations, but it was still a fun example of the “pioneering spirit” that characterized the Norrlandsoperan—perhaps combined with my own age. The second time, I was supposed to come out through a refrigerator while playing at the same time… Talk about off-stage! And two funny episodes.

I’ve also had the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the orchestra, and on one occasion alongside Andreas Carlsson Walleng, my trumpet colleague of the past 20 years, when we performed the newly composed piece *Mantra*. It was incredibly fun to be part of a joint project that went beyond the everyday. And I hope to do more things like that in the future.

Annika Wallin, who recently concluded her tenure as a bassoonist in the orchestra, has been and remains a role model for me. For her professionalism and because, as a woman, she was a pioneer as a section leader on a woodwind instrument—and, as far as I know, one of the first in a symphony orchestra in Sweden.