My former mandolin violin and viola techer Anton Ekerhovd passed away last week. I first met him in 1988 when I joined the Bergen Mandolin Orchestra. At the same time he became the conductor of the orchestra. He was himself a professional musician playing viola in the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and also a brilliant teacher and conductor.
Anton was crucial to my musical development. For several years he gave me weekly lessons for free and encouraged me to follow my dream of becoming a musician. Once a week I took the buss out of town to Krokeide for a lengthy music lesson. His wife Må lfrid served lunch. In the end I applied for and was accepted as a composition student at the Grieg Academy. Anton continued to be my teacher on mandolin and viola for another two years. I proberbly wouldn’t be able to become a professional artist without his support.
To Anton music wasn’t simply a profession rather a way of life. The most important thing I learned from him was always to be fully engaged in what I’m doing musically. In all of the years I knew him I never heared him playing with lack of inspiration. Every note meant something for him and was performed with dedication. Whether he was giving a recital or playing at a house for the elderly he always gave it his full attention and strived for the perfect.
A lot of people attended the funeral today to take a last goodbye and express their gratitude.
