Harald Heide

Harald Heide (March 8, 1876 – January 27, 1956) was a Norwegian violinist, conductor, and composer. Heide was born in Fredrikstad, the son of the violin-maker Johan Albert Heide (1847–1925). followed by a tour as a concert violinist in England and the United States. Under Heide’s management, the orchestra’s program was expanded, from six to eight concerts per year to over 80, and it was also better staffed with musicians for all of the positions in a symphony orchestra. Heide was a guest conductor in Helsinki in 1924, in Göteborg in 1928, and in Stockholm in 1931. Under his direction, the Harmony Music Society performed over 6,000 works by 455 different composers. Heide’s compositions for orchestra, including his Symphonie romantique, were stylistically influenced by Johan Halvorsen. In 1929, Heide married the singer Henriette Strindberg, née Nielsen (1894–1964). After her debut in 1918, she performed in operas and operettas in Oslo and Bergen, and also as a concert singer in these cities and in London. She later worked as a voice instructor at the Bergen Conservatory. Harald Heide was the brother of the actress Signe Heide Steen (1881–1959), who was the mother of the singer Randi