In a musical landscape where the expression modern is itself historical, Håkon Kornstad’s orchestral work seeks renewal not through stylistic rupture, but through a rethinking of the relationship between composer, performer, and ensemble. His projects invite orchestral musicians into the act of creation, incorporating elements of improvisation within carefully shaped arrangements and allowing the music to unfold differently from performance to performance. Rather than a conventional meeting of genres, this approach reclaims a sense of immediacy and shared authorship within the orchestral tradition. As both jazz saxophonist and operatic tenor, Kornstad brings his distinctive sound to these collaborations, both as soloist and as composer and arranger, moving seamlessly between lieder, opera, jazz, and symphonic textures.
In 2017, Kornstad — together with arrangers Erlend Skomsvoll and Kjetil Bjerkestrand — developed a full orchestral program of reimagined opera arias, lieder, and original material. The project premiered with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK) in Oslo, followed by an album and national broadcasts, and was later presented with the WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne (2018).
A collaboration with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and artistic director Terje Tønnesen followed in 2019, exploring how improvisation can be integrated into the orchestral fabric. This includes a reworking of Bartók’s Divertimento for Strings with saxophone improvisation, Neapolitan songs in new orchestral settings, and reinterpretations of Edvard Grieg in which the ensemble itself becomes an improvising body. The collaboration has been performed in Oslo, Moss, and at Shanghai Concert Hall (2024).
Kornstad’s orchestral work has also been presented with the Stockholm Wind Symphony, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra at the Maijazz Festival, and the Arctic Philharmonic, where he has appeared both as saxophonist and tenor soloist on multiple occasions.
Alongside this work, he is active as a classical tenor, with recent performances including Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He created and performed a leading role in the contemporary opera Adam and Eve by Cecilie Ore, premiered at the Ultima Festival and the Bergen International Festival.
He also collaborates with ensembles such as Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps, Prinsens Musikkorps in Denmark, and Ensemble Allegria, with whom he was soloist on the album Clashes (2025), featuring music by Erlend Skomsvoll.
Kornstad develops programmes in close collaboration with each orchestra, and is available both as a tenor soloist and with his orchestral projects.