THE NORWEGIAN ART MUSIC SCENE A GUIdE

THE
NORWEGIAN
ART MUSIC
SCENE
A Guide
Vilde Frang
rang
In later years, Norway has witnessed violinist Vilde
Frang being named EMI Classic’s Young Artist
of the Year 2010, pianist Christian Ihle Hadland
honoured with the BBC New Generation Artist 2011
award and 17-year old Erlend Holtsmark Ringstad
winning the Eurovision Young Musician 2012 - no
mean feat considering that the latter performed
Bartok’s Viola Concerto!
From a long list of international engagements this
year, we can highlight Frang and Hadland’s recitals
and soloist performances with orchestras at the
2013 Proms in London.
What has happened here?
Well, in the past we have been up there in the
upper echelons of classical music with the likes
of Edvard Grieg, Kirsten Flagstad and Leif Ove
Andsnes flying the flag for their country, but the
rich flora of young talent that has emerged and
made a mark for itself over the last decades still
represents something special. The three young
performers all share a background, more or less,
from Oslo’s Barratt Due Music Institute. Children
are enrolled here from the age 3-4, and can
continue their studies at the institute all the way
up to a BA-level. The most talented students are
able to earn their BA’s parallel with their highschool level studies.
An elite academy into which innocent children are
whipped by over-ambitious parents? No, what first
springs to mind when entering the front-door of
the institute is the atmosphere. The children start
out with song, dance, folk tunes and the Suzuki
method. The very foundation that everything
builds upon is the joy of playing: three-year olds
on mute cardboard-violins play Vivaldi with the
older students, convinced that they are taking
part in the music making. Real instruments are
introduced at a later stage – gradually followed by
elementary score reading. This is again followed
by a well thought-out system of individual
classes and chamber music- as well as orchestra
sessions where the unique teaching environment
encourages the youthful joy of playing.
The institute was founded in 1927, but the
resurgence of international, prize-winning talent
is more of a contemporary phenomenon, and can
likely be traced back a system of publicly funded
music education; a system that has been in place
since 1973. A well-functioning education system
has enabled the talents to pursue a career at home
and the nation now is in a position where it is selfsupplied by skilled musicians and teachers.
Today’s Norwegian art music scene features a solid
infrastructure which we will try to map out through
an overview of sector’s institutions. It is our hope
that this brochure can be helpful.
Orchestras:
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Norwegian Radio Orchestra
www.oslofilharmonien.no
Chief Conductor: Vassili Petrenko (from August
2013)
Director: Ingrid Røynesdal (from August 2013)
www.kork.no
Chief conductor: Miguel Harth-Bedoya (from
August 2013)
Director: Rolf Lennart Stensø
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Chamber orchestras:
www.filharmonien.no
Chief Conductor: Andrew Litton
Director: Bernt Bauge
The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
Trondheim Symphony Orchestra
www.tso.no
Chief conductor: Krzysztof Urbanski
Director: Roar Leinan
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
www.sso.no
Chief conductor: Steven Sloane
Chief conductor Early Music: Fabio Biondi
Director: Trude Marit Risnes
Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic
Orchestra
www.noso.no
Chief Conductor: Christian Lindberg
Director: Tor Lægreid
Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra
www.kso.no
Chief Conductor: Vacant
Director: Vacant
www.detnorskekammerorkester.no
Direcotr: Per Erik Kise Larsen
Artistic leader: Terje Tønnesen
Oslo Camerata
www.oslocamerata.no
Artistic leader: Stephan Barratt-Due
Norwegian Baroque Orchestra
www.nbo.no
Artistic leader: Gottfried von der Goltz
Barokkanerne
www.barokkanerne.no
Director: Johan Nicolai Mohn
Ensemble Allegria
www.ensembleallegria.com/
Artistic leader: Maria Angelika Carlsen
Telemark Chamber Orchestra
/www.telemarkkammerorkester.no
Artistic leader: Lars-Erik ter Jung
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Photo: Stian Andersen
Wind orchestras:
The Norwegian Wind Ensemble
www.dnbe.no
Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed
Forces
Contemporary music
ensembles:
BIT 20
www.bit20.no
Bodø Sinfonietta
www.fsmk.no
www.noso.bo
Chamber ensembles:
Oslo Sinfonietta
Oslo String Quartet
www.cikos.no
www.stringquartet.com
Vertavo String Quartet
www.vertavo.com
Engegard Quartet
www.lofotenartists.no
Grieg Trio
www.griegtrio.com
Arctic Brass
www.arcticbrass.no
Cikada
www.cikos.no
asamisimasa
www.asamisimasa.com
MiNensemblet
www.musikkinordland.no
POING
www.poing.no
SPUNK
Currentes
www.spunkmusic.com
Early music
www.currentes.com
SISU percussion ensemble
www.sisu-percussion.no
Saxofon Concentus
www.saxofonconcentus.com
Nordic Voices Photo: Guri Dahl
Professional choirs and
vocal ensembles:
The Norwegian Soloists Choir
solistkoret.no
Artistic leader: Grete Pedersen
Sounds), presenting works from Norwegian
composer Lasse Thoresen’s vocal universe - a
universe that relies heavily on exploration of such
singing techniques as Mongolian over-tone singing
as well as kveding - a Norwegian vocal style that
has never surrendered to the limitations of the
tempered scale.
KorVest
Trio Mediæval
www.korvest.no
Artistic leader: Nicolas Fink
Early and contemporary
www.triomediaeval.no
Nordic Voices Modus ensemble
www.nordicvoices.no
Early music
www.modusensemble.no
- The same things happen whenever we switch
to overtone singing, be it in Luzerne or in an Ohio
junction; people will always crane their necks,
searching for those flutes that they hear but can’t
see…
The last year has seen the renowned vocal
ensemble enjoying a triumphant, global tour de
force with the recording ‘Himmelkvad’ (Heavenly
Operas:
The Norwegian National Opera &
Ballet (Oslo)
www.operaen.no
Opera Director: Per Boye Hansen
Ballet Director: Ingrid Lorentzen
Music Director: John Helmer Fiore
The opera house in Oslo opened in 2008.
Bergen National Opera
Pro Arte International Management
www.bno.no/
Director: Mary Miller
www.proarte.no
Director: Kjell Wernøe
Managements:
Major festivals:
Nordic Artists Management
Bergen International Festival (May/
June)
www.nordicartistsmanagement.com
Norway representative: Kathryn Naish Hjelsvold
www.fib.no
Director: Anders Beyer
Cl assical Management
Festival of North Norway (Harstad)
(June)
www.classicalmgt.com
Director: James Dudek
Artefact
www.artefact.no
Specialized in opera and concert singers
Director: Matthias Eidmann
www.festspillnn.no
Director: Tone Winje
Vestfold International Festival
(Juni)
www.vestfoldfestspillene.no
Director: Svein Eriksen
Nordland Music Festival (Bodø)
(August)
www.nmfu.no
Director: André Larsen
Chamber music
festivals:
Røros Winter Chamber Music Festival
(Mars)
www.vinterfestspill.no
Director: Dag Ådne Sandbakken
Artistic Leader: Marianne Thorsen
Risør Chamber Music festival (June)
– Kanskje et bilde? Text: Profilic festival in
picturesque surroundings.
www.kammermusikkfest.no
Director: Per Erik Kise Larsen
Artistic Leaders: Lars Anders Tomter and Henning
Kraggerud
Oslo Kammermusikkfestival (August)
St. Olav Festival (Trondheim) (July)
www.olavsfestdagene.no
Director: Randi Wenche Haugen
Contemporary:
Ultima (Oslo) (September)
www.utlima.no
Director: Lars Petter Hagen
Borealis (Bergen) (March)
www.borealisfestival.no
Director: Alwynne Pritchard
Punkt – Electronic music festival
(Kristiansand) (September)
www.punktfestival.no
Artistic leaders: Jan Bang and Erik Honoré
Fri Resonans (Trondheim) (November)
www.freeresonance.org
www.oslokammermusikkfestival.no
Director: Kristin Slørdahl
Artistic leader: Arve Tellefsen
EKKO Festival for Electronic Music
and Art (Bergen) (September)
International Chamber Music
festival (Stavanger) (August)
Ilios (Harstad) (February)
www.icmf.no
Director: Kjell Anders Petterson
Artistic leaders: Christian Ihle Hadland and Martin
Fröst
Lofoten International Chamber
Music Festival (July)
www.lofotenfestival.no
Trondheim Chamber Music Festival
(September)
www.kamfest.no
Director: Vegar Snøfugl
Church music festivals:
Oslo International Church Music
Festival (March)
www.kirkemusikkfestivalen.no
Director: Bente Johnsrud
www.ekko.no
www.ilios.no
Numusic (Stavanger) (September)
www.numusic.no
all Ears– Festival for improvised
music (Oslo) (January)
www.all-ears.no
Contemporary music
organizations and
series:
Ny Musikk (Oslo, Bergen,
Kristiansand, Bodø. Stavanger,
Tromsø, Trondheim and Fredrikstad)
Promotes concerts and tours featuring Norwegian
and international contemporary music.
www.nymusikk.no
© Liv Øvland/Risør kammermusikkfest
Avgarde (Bergen)
NOTAM (Oslo)
www.avgarde.no
www.notam02.no
Bidrobon (Oslo)
BEK (Bergen)
www.bidrobon.no
www.bek.no
Lydgalleriet (Bergen)
TEKS (Trondheim)
Sound art venue
www.lydgalleriet.no
www.teks.no
Atelier Nord (Oslo)
Sound art venue
www.ateliernord.no
ioLab (Stavanger)
www.iolab.no
Education:
Electronic studios:
Barratt Due Music Institute
PNEK - Production network for
electronic art, Norway
www.barradue.no
Artistic leader: Stephan Barratt-Due
www.pnek.org
Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo)
www.nmh.no
SIMAX The oldest classical label in Norway
The Grieg Academy (Bergen)
www.uib.no/grieg
Agder University, Music
(Kristiansand)
www.uia.no
NTNU, Department of music
(Trondheim)
www.ntnu.no/musikk
Stavanger College, School of Arts
Education, Conservatory of Music
www.uis.no/studietilbud/musikk_og_dans
Tromsø University College, Music
Conservatory
www.hitos.no
Record companies:
2L
Classical, contemporary, folk music, jazz
www.2L.no
+3db
New music and sound
www.plus3db.net
Afontibus DA
Magazines, sites:
Classical, church music, contemporary
www.afontibus.no
(Norwegian only)
Klassisk Musikkmagasin
www.mezzomedia.no
Ballade.no
Lydskrift.no
Scenekunst.no
Aurora
Contemporary
www.aurorarecords.no
Fabra
Classical, contemporary
www.fabra.no
Music publishers:
Cantando
www.musikkforlaget.no
LAWO
Lyche Musikkforlag
Classical
www.lawo.no
www.lychemusikk.no
Mere Records
www.musikk-huset.no
Art- and contemporary
www.mererecords.com
Norsk Musikforlag
Rune Grammofon
Noise, electronics
www.runegrammofon.com
Simax
Classical
www.simax.no
Composers societies:
Norwegian Society of Composers
www.komponist.no
Leader: Åse Hedstrøm
NOPA - Society of Composers and
Lyricists
www.nopa.no
Leader: Ragnar Bjerkreim
New Music Composers’ Group
www.nymusikk.no
Musikk-Husets Forl ag
www.norskmusikforlag.no
Norsk Noteservice
www.notebutikken.no
Present at Classical
Next from Music Norway:
Jonas Vebner
Music Norway Berlin Office
[email protected]
+ 49 151 64611099
Hilde Holbæk-Hanssen
Art Music Manager, Oslo
[email protected]
+47 47 27 97 86
Music Norway is the Norwegian music
industry’s new export facilitator and promotional
organisation.
Following a merger of the Music Information
Centre Norway and Music Export Norway, Music
Norway is operational with effect from January 1st
2013.
Addressing the needs of the music industry, artists,
ensembles and organisations, Music Norway’s
primary goal is to foster growth in interest and use
of Norwegian music of all genres and styles.
Through various support programs, music industry
trade fair and festival presence, educational
initiatives, regional offices in Central Europe and
the UK and a wide range of other tools, Music
Norway strives to support the Norwegian music
scene’s export sector in the best way possible.
A thorough understanding of the workings of the
Norwegian music industry is also high on the
organisation’s agenda; data retrieval and analysis
as well as music export statistics will be key tasks
for the new organisation.