Conductor Terje Boye Hansen has passed away. He was 78.

Hansen was born in Norway in 1946. He was a trained bassoonist and music teacher as well as an opera conductor. In 1968, he began his career as principal bassoonist with the Norwegian Opera. In 1993, he was appointed as the company’s conductor. Hansen went on to be named chief conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in 2001.

His repertoire included operas such as “Carmen,” “La traviata,” “Hänsel und Gretel,” “Così fan tutte,” and “Madama Butterfly,” among others. He had assignments for radio and television and engagements in the UK, Germany, South Africa, Russia, Poland, and Sweden.

In 1988, Hansen received the award of “Conductor of the Festival” at the international festival Neue Musiktheaterwerkstatt. He was awarded the King’s Medal of Merit in 2020, and in 2021, he was appointed an honorary member of the Norwegian Society of Music Artists.

In recent years, Hansen had made great efforts to revive forgotten parts of Norwegian music history. He worked extensively with Norwegian romantic music history. He published an album featuring highlights from his research findings.

No arrangements for a funeral have been announced at this time.