{"id":22032,"date":"2024-06-04T13:04:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T11:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/musikerna\/johannes-ogren\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T13:12:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:12:44","slug":"johannes-ogren","status":"publish","type":"musician","link":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/musikerna\/johannes-ogren\/","title":{"rendered":"Johannes \u00d6gren"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cJust like elite athletes, we need to stay in top shape so we can play our best every time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oboe: Johannes \u00d6gren<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

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Meet the Musicians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My mom told me that when <\/strong>I was little, I heard an oboe on TV <\/strong>and said, \u201cI want to play THAT.\u201d Even though I don\u2019t remember this myself, maybe that\u2019s where it all started with music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I wanted to become a tennis coach, too\u2014which I did, despite some resistance from my parents. I worked as a coach for a few years back home in \u00d6rnsk\u00f6ldsvik before I went on to the Academy of Music in Gothenburg. By the way, I was also discouraged from becoming a musician\u2014but I think both my mom and dad are proud of me now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see it as if I\u2019ve earned my position in the orchestra. I\u2019m very proud of that. The process was a long one\u2014I auditioned in 2010 and, after many weeks of auditions and a trial year, was notified in September 2012 that I\u2019d gotten the job. For someone like me, opportunities like this are rare, so once I landed the job, we took the chance and moved. The whole family is really happy here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2012 to 2016, I was also a section leader, which means having primary responsibility for the section and the artistic responsibility of playing the first part. Now I\u2019m an alternate section leader in charge of the English horn, which for me is a great mix that lets me play just about everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I train both physically and mentally specifically for certain concerts. This line of work involves high-level performance, and there\u2019s always the expectation that I\u2019ll be in top form when it counts. I\u2019d say we prepare just like elite athletes, where the concert itself is the thrill that also reveals how we\u2019re performing that day\u2014just like in a game or competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One concert I remember very well was Brahms’s violin concerto<\/strong> with Henning Kraggerud as soloist and Johannes Gustafsson conducting. I had just started my probationary period here and was incredibly nervous, especially about the solo in the slow movement. On top of that, the hall was packed to the brim\u2014there were even people standing along the railings above the orchestra in the balcony. Just as I started playing the solo, I suddenly had a strong feeling: \u201cI want to go home right now; this doesn\u2019t feel right at all.\u201d What do you do? It\u2019s not the time to just get up and leave, of course. A quick internal scolding, a mental \u201cpull yourself together,\u201d and then I just had to keep playing. The whole internal crisis took place in a fraction of a second; no one in the orchestra or the audience noticed a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Beethoven\u2019s Ninth with Rumon Gamba in 2013\u2026 it was absolutely dreadful! The second movement has a festive oboe solo that isn\u2019t all that difficult, but it goes on for quite a while. I was thorough and played through that section every morning for a few months, which I was very grateful for when it was finally time for the concert: I start playing the solo, then all sound around me disappears and the world appears as if through a pair of upside-down binoculars. Total tunnel vision\u2014I remember thinking I wanted to go home to Mom! But\u2014my fingers had played that section so many times that they just kept going whether I was paying attention or not. No one noticed anything strange! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My practice strategy is based on listening<\/strong> rather than playing a lot. I tune in and form a picture of what role I\u2019ll play in the context. If we\u2019re going to play one of the portal works, you probably already know it well\u2014that\u2019s part of the deal. And if you\u2019ve \u201cdone the work beforehand,\u201d you can also relax during the concert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, the variety is what this job is all about. I love the mix! Some of my personal musical favorites include Mahler\u2014for example, I love the beautiful, somber *Kindertotenlieder*, which feature a lot of oboe and English horn\u2014as well as Mozart and Puccini. There\u2019s a lot going on musically here, and the score might look simple at first glance, but\u2014there\u2019s a lot of tension and tension between the lines, and you can\u2019t relax. I think it\u2019s fantastic music. The charm of opera in particular is that it\u2019s so alive, with us in the orchestra serving as the driving force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another recent favorite concert was the one we did with Annika Norlin. It was a fantastic concert with great songs, awesome arrangements, and the wonderful Annika! I\u2019d love to do something similar with other artists\u2014why not Lars Winnerb\u00e4ck? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the pandemic, I\u2019ve actually gotten a little tired of being an oboist. But otherwise, when the mix is good and you\u2019re in good shape, it\u2019s fantastic to get to make music at work! It\u2019s my dream job, even though\u2014just like with any other job\u2014it can be tough and boring at times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might be interesting to know that we oboists make the reeds we play with ourselves<\/strong>. Just as a skier\u2019s wax is unique\u2014and absolutely crucial\u2014so too are the reeds. They\u2019re made from a type of reed that grows like bamboo sticks and is sold by the kilo. Various machines are needed for the manufacturing process, and the tubes must be precise to within hundredths of a millimeter to be perfect. For me, 0.56\u20130.57 mm, for example, is perfect\u20140.55 is too thin, and 0.58 is just a little too thick. The climate in the hall is also important when you\u2019re using them. Wood is, after all, a living material, and if the air is dry\u2014as it is here in the north\u2014it\u2019s more difficult. I\u2019ve had a tube simply stop working right in the middle of a performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I make a whole bunch of pipes at once. We have a wide variety of machines and tools\u2014milling machines, planers, profiling cutters, edge planers, and knives\u2014to produce the best possible pipes. Musician or woodworker\u2014sometimes you wonder. Either way, it\u2019s a craft that revolves around the material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My oboe is \u201ccustom-made\u201d by a Bulgarian who lives in Sweden from time to time. He also made the English horn I play. My oboe was \u201cfinished\u201d in 2012\u2014but it still took another two years before we were completely satisfied. Now it\u2019s perfect for me. And that\u2019s the advantage of choosing, buying, and owning your own instrument\u2014it\u2019s exactly the way I need it to be. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Personal<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In my free time, I play tennis and squash and try to stay in shape as best I can. I read a lot, and music is another interest of mine. I almost always have music playing at home\u2014either something we\u2019re going to play at work or an album I\u2019m currently obsessed with. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4145,"menu_order":145,"template":"","meta":{"musician_role":"Oboe"},"class_list":["post-22032","musician","type-musician","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJohannes \u00d6gren - Norrlandsoperan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/musikerna\/johannes-ogren\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Johannes \u00d6gren - Norrlandsoperan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/musikerna\/johannes-ogren\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Norrlandsoperan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T11:12:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/johannes_ogren_2X5A2310_webb.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/musikerna\\\/johannes-ogren\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/norrlandsoperan.se\\\/en\\\/musikerna\\\/johannes-ogren\\\/\",\"name\":\"Johannes \u00d6gren - 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