Norway on Music Theory Print

Agathe Backer Grøndahl

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Agathe Ursula Backer Grøndahl (1 December 1847 – 4 June 1907) was a Norwegian pianist and composer. Her son Fridtjof Backer-Grøndahl (1885–1959) was also a pianist and composer, who promoted his mother’s compositions in his concerts. Biography Early life Agathe Ursula Backer was born in Holmestrand in 1847, in a wealthy and art-loving home, as the second youngest of four sisters, all gifted in drawing and music. In 1857, she moved with her family to Christiania, where she studied with Otto Winther-Hjelm, Halfdan Kjerulf and Ludvig Mathias Lindeman. She won fame there with her interpretation of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. Her parents heavily discouraged her performance career, believing it was unsuitable for a woman. They believed she was better suited to life as a house-wife. In a letter to Kjerrulf, she wrote, “I do not understand how both you and my parents could object to the fact that I want to become what one calls a female artist… It seems to me that a beautiful, independent future for a woman can be found in the simple act of striving, if possible, to be able to present an enjoyable experience to people, especially if that future included a way to travel and see a little

Alette Due

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Alethe “Alette” Wilhelmine Georgine Due, née Sibbern (28 February 1812 – 7 May 1887), was a Norwegian singer, composer and courtier. She was an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and served as Overhoffmesterinne for Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway in 1873–1887. Life Alette Due was born in Værne Kloster, the daughter of councillor of state Valentin Christian Wilhelm Sibbern (1779–1853) and Anne Cathrine Stockfleth (1785–1865) and sister of prime minister Georg Sibbern and Carl Sibbern. In 1828 she married Frederik Due. She died in Oslo. Musician Her spouse was Norwegian state secretary stationed in Stockholm in 1822–1841, and Prime minister of Norway in 1841–1850. When her spouse was stationed in Stockholm, she became a central figure of the Swedish-Norwegian high society in the Swedish capital during the Union between Sweden and Norway. Due was a non-professional musician of note: she performed as singer and composed songs as well as piano music. She was a member of the musical society Harmoniska Sällskapet (‘Harmonic Society’) in Stockholm, and was inducted as Honorary member to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music 30 December 1850. Court career In 1840, when s

Alfred Janson

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Alfred Janson (10 March 1937 – 19 May 2019) was a Norwegian pianist and composer. He was born in Oslo as the son of sculptor Gunnar Janson and pianist Margrethe Gleditsch, and was brother of journalist Mette Janson. He was first married to actress and singer Grynet Molvig and later to Berit Gustavsen. He made his piano debut in 1962. Among his early compositions is the piano piece November from 1962 and the orchestral Vuggesang from 1963. He composed the ballet Mot solen for the Bergen International Festival in 1969, and in 1991 he was the festival’s principal composer. Career A number of Janson’s works bear the mark of his jazz background, and several of his earliest compositions are written for a jazz line-up, including Patrice Lumumba (1961) for piano, bass, and drums. From 1962 onwards, Janson would gradually focus more on notated music and gained recognition with works such as November (1962) for piano and Vuggesang for 48 strykere og sopran (1963). 1966 saw his orchestral work Konstruksjon og hymne winning the prize for best non-Dutch work at the Bilhoven Festival. The same year also saw Janson’s international breakthrough at the ISCM World Music Days with the work Kanon for

Anne-Marie Ørbeck

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Anne-Marie Ørbeck (1 April 1911 – 5 June 1996) was a Norwegian pianist and composer. She studied piano in Oslo and in Berlin with Sandra Drouker. She continued her studies in music and composition under teachers including Gustav Fredrik Lange, Mark Lothar, Paul Höffer and Darius Milhaud. She made her debut as a pianist in Oslo in 1933 with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1939 Ørbeck married engineer Helge Smitt (1906–1985). Her career as a musician and composer was interrupted by World War II, but her song cycle “Vonir i blømetid” (Hope at Blossom-Time) won a prize in 1942 from the Norwegian Society of Composers. In the 1950s, she studied composition again with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, and later with Hanns Jelinek in Vienna. Her Symphony in D Major was premiered in Bergen in 1954, making her the first female Norwegian symphonic composer. She died in Bergen in 1996. Works Ørbeck composed works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and solo instrument, but specialized in vocal works, including songs, choral works and psalm compositions. Selected works include: Orchestral works: *Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, 1938 *Melody, Miniature Suite, 1940 *Symphony in D major, 1944 *Rune Ma

Antonio Bibalo

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Antonio Gino Bibalo (18 January 1922 – 20 June 2008) was an Italian-Norwegian pianist and composer of contemporary classical music, primarily operas. Biography Bibalo was born in Trieste and studied piano at the conservatory there. His path to Norway and a career as a composer was a convoluted one. During World War II he was drafted into the Italian army and ended up in military prison when he tried to desert. He escaped from prison, was caught by the German army, and then forced to fight with them at Monte Cassino. During the battle, he was captured by the American army and sent to the United States as a prisoner of war. When he eventually returned to Trieste in 1946, he received his diploma from the conservatory and worked as a bar pianist to support himself. He then walked to Marseille, hoping to study composition, but ended up in the French Foreign Legion and was sent to Oman where he was assigned to entertain in the officer’s mess, and teach piano to their wives. Once again he escaped and eventually ended up in London in 1953 where he studied with Elisabeth Lutyens. In 1956 he settled in Norway. There he supported himself while composing by working as a music copyist and as ba

Arne Eggen

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Arne Eggen (28 August 1881 in Trondheim, Norway – 26 October 1955 in Bærum, Norway) was a Norwegian composer and organist, married in 1916 to Engel Johanne Othilie Sparre Gulbranson (1878–1918), the brother of musicologist and composer (1877–1957), and brother-in-law to the opera singer Ellen Gulbranson (1863–1947). Biography Eggen studied at the Conservatory of Music in Oslo with Catharinus Elling (1858–1942), Peter Brynie Lindeman (1858–1930), and graduated as organist in 1905. He also studied at the Leipzig Conservatory (1906–1907) with Stephan Krehl and Karl Straube (1873–1950). He worked as organist in Bragernes Church (1908–1924), Drammen Church (1908–1924), Bryn Church (1924–1955) and Tanum Church, Bærum. He was chairman of the Norwegian Society of Composers (1927–1945), Honorary Chairman 1945 in TONO 1928–1930. Of his compositions include Oratorio King Olav (1930), the operas Olav Liljekrans (lyrics by Ibsen, 1931–1940) and Cymbelin (lyrics by Shakespeare, 1943–1950), premiered in 1951, with Aase Nordmo Løvberg in the role of Imogen, the choral Mjøsen (mixed choir with piano, 1922), the melodrama Liti Kersti, Cantata to Drammens 100th anniversary (soli, choir and orchestra)

Arne Nordheim

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Arne Nordheim (20 June 1931 – 5 June 2010) was a Norwegian composer. Nordheim received numerous awards for his compositions, and from 1982 lived in the Norwegian government’s honorary residence, Grotten, next to the Royal Palace in Oslo. He was elected an honorary member of the International Society for Contemporary Music in 1997. On 18 August 2006, Arne Nordheim received a doctor honoris causa degree at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He died at the age of 78 and was given a state funeral. Musical education At the then Oslo Conservatory of Music (now the Norwegian Academy of Music), where Nordheim studied from 1948 to 1952, he started out as a theory and organ student, but changed to composition, studying with Karl August Andersen (1903–1970), Bjarne Brustad, and Conrad Baden. Then in 1955 he studied with Vagn Holmboe in Copenhagen, and studied musique concrète in Paris. Later he studied electronic music in Bilthoven (1959), and paid many visits to the Studio Eksperymentalne of Polish Radio (1967–1972), where many of his early electronic works were realised (including Pace, Solitaire, and Lux et tenebrae (Poly-Poly)). In 2005, many lost and forgotten tapes of electronic compositio

Arve Furset

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Arve Eilif Furset (born 5 December 1964 in Askvoll Municipality, Western Norway) is a Norwegian composer, jazz musician (piano, keyboards) and music producer, known from a series of record releases and cooperations with the likes of Ernst-Wiggo Sandbakk, Kjersti Stubø, Elin Rosseland, Johannes Eick, Vigleik Storaas, Jostein Hasselgård, Eivind Aarset, and Norma Winstone. Career Furset studied music at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1983–85), and was a member of bands like the Bodega Band (1985–89), Saz Semai (1986–87), and Ernst-Wiggo Sandbakk & The Sympathy Orchestra (1989–90). He also worked regularly with bands like the quintet First Set, with whom he performed at festivals in Lillehammer, Vossajazz and Moldejazz, the trio Konerne ved Vandposten and Orleysa. Since 1999, he toured with Eivind Aarset’s band Électronique Noire. In the late 1990s he also worked with pop musicians like the band Flava to da bone and Lynni Treekrem. Furset was orchestra leader and composer of Trøndelag Teater and participated in more than thirty of the ensembles tours. Later he worked at the Sentralteateret and in Oslo Nye Teater and worked as a composer, arranger and composer for the big Saturday night

Åse Hedstrøm

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Åse Hedstrøm (born 17 April 1950 in Moss) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Life and career Åse Hedstrøm studied music at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht, and composition at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. She continued her studies in Stockholm with composer Sven-David Sandström. After completing her studies, Hedstrøm received a three-year working grant from the state in 1987, and began composing full-time. She received the Norwegian Society of Composers’ Work of the Year award for the chamber music work Right After in 1985 and for the string quartet Sorti in 1989. Parallel to her compositional career, Hedstrøm has also been active as an organizer and coordinator on the Norwegian music scene, beginning in 1978 when she was appointed as director for NyMusikk (the Norwegian section of ISDM). I the time-frame 1983 to 1987, Hedstrøm was the music co-ordinator for Henie Onstad Kunstsenter which resulted in a number of contemporary music concerts and festivals at the art centre. From 1994 to 1998, Hedstrøm served as director and artistic leader for the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival. From 1999 to 2002, Hedstrøm was the director of the Stockholm Concert Hall and th

Atle Bakken

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Atle Bakken (born 1962 in Sandefjord, Norway), is a composer, performer and producer from Norway, known on both sides of the Atlantic, through his work with Stevie Wonder, Sting, Diana Ross, Andy Summers, Snoop Dogg, Andraé Crouch and scoring credits such as the Fox/HBO award-winning TV comedy series Martin, starring Martin Lawrence. Bakken has since 1986 been a journalist for music magazines such as Keyboard magazine (US), Ballade (NO), Sonic Shocks (UK) and Musikkpraksis (NO). Life and career Atle Bakken started his music involvement at 5 years of age by copying Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade” on a Hohner melodica. He took up classical studies at 10 with Dr. Norbert Bojanowski, going through the repertoire of Grieg, Bach, Mozart and Liszt, and the likes. At 14 Bakken started his own organ jazz trio and started to perform concerts in the spirit of Larry Young and Jimmy Smith, and recorded his first radio show (at NRK). He also started performing R&B and soul with a band a la Tower of Power. At age 15, Bakken was discovered by Sony Music A&R, Kristian Lindeman by having recorded his own material for local talent scout & manager, Fredrik Friis. Bakken was noted nationally in Nor

Bertha Tapper

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Bertha Johanne Feiring Maass Tapper (25 January 1859 – 2 September 1915) was a Norwegian composer, pianist, and teacher, best known for editing the piano works of Edvard Grieg for publication in America. She published under the name Bertha Feiring Tapper. Biography Tapper was one of nine children born in Christiania, Norway, to Berthe Iversdatter and Lars Olsen Feiring. She married Carl Ludvig Otto Maass and they had a son (Louis) and a daughter (Klea). She later married musicologist Thomas Tapper in New York in 1894. Tapper studied music with Johan Svendsen and Agatha Backer Grondahl in Norway. In 1878, she graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Leipzig, Germany (today the University of Music and Theatre), and later studied with Theodor Leschetizkey in Vienna. Tapper emigrated to America in 1881. She taught and performed, both as a piano soloist and as an accompanist, and with the Kneisel Quartet and other musicians. She taught piano at the New England Conservatory from 1889 to 1897, and at the Institute of Musical Art (which became the Juilliard School) from 1905 to 1910. Her students included Abram Chasins, Lev Ornstein, and Kay Swift. She often hosted her students at her s

Bertil Palmar Johansen

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Bertil Palmar Johansen (born 18 February 1954) is a Norwegian contemporary composer and violinist. Johansen was born in Brattvåg. He studied violin at the Trøndelag Music Conservatory (today the NTNU) and took composition classes with Per Hjort Albertsen, Holger Prytz and Olav Anton Thommessen. His list of works spans a wide spectrum of styles and instrumentation and includes a number of commissioned works for domestic as well as international ensembles and soloists. Key works includes his ballet Tiden Bygger Byen written for the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the oratory De varme vinder as well as the symphonic work Tors Hammer – a work that earned him the 2002 Edvardprisen. In 2000, his opera Hjerter Dame til Ringve saw its premiere as part of the millennial celebration. Other major works written in recent years includes Johansen’s opera Madonna Furiosa, premiered in Nidarosdomen in 2005 and 2010’s major scenic work Drømmen og Ilden, premiered at the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival. 2010 marked the Kristiansund premiere of a new opera, Med Kniven På Strupen, a work that was later performed at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. 2012 saw the premiere of the opera Den Unge Pil

Birgitte Grimstad

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Birgitte Grimstad (born 15 December 1935) is a Danish-born Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and writer. Personal life Grimstad was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the daughter of Aksel Schiøtz and Gerd Haugsted. She was married to ambassador Per Øystein Grimstad from 1958 to 1988. Career Grimstad studied theatre and mass media at the University of Minnesota, United States. She made her musical debut in 1966 with the single “Det første som jeg ønsker meg”, with lyrics by Alf Prøysen, and “Å være barn en sommerdag” (lyrics by André Bjerke). Later in the 1980s she performed Bach’s Geistliche Lieder and the medieval ballad Draumkvedet in churches in Denmark and Norway. Her album Pas på de vilde fugle from 1983 included a Danish version of Prøysen’s “Vise for gærne jinter”, Nordahl Grieg’s poem “Til Ungdommen” to Otto Mortensen melody, and a translation of the Elvis Presley hit “Love Me Tender”. Later albums are Wondering And Calling from 1986, and Love Is A Flow from 1996. She was awarded a Musikkritikerprisen in 1972, and a Prøysenprisen in 1999. References

Bjarne Amdahl

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Bjarne Fredrik Berg Amdahl (17 August 190314 April 1968) was a Norwegian pianist, composer and orchestra conductor. Personal life Amdahl was born to Seddeltrykkeriet (banknote printers) chairman Hans Amdahl (1875–1945) and Gyda Sawert (1877–1957) in Trondheim. In 1931 he married the dancer Bengta Andrea Jønsson (11 May 1910 – 3 September 2003), daughter of furniture shop keeper Andreas Jønsson (1871–1940) and politician Gitta Jønsson (b. Hagerup, 1869–1950). He died in Bærum in 1968. He was one of Norway’s most popular composers of entertainment music in the 20th century, and among his most popular music were melodies to the songs "" and “Sønnavindsvalsen” with lyrics by Alf Prøysen, and the song “Skomværvalsen” with lyrics by Erik Bye. External links * References

Bjarne Brustad

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Bjarne Brustad (4 March 1895 – 20 May 1978) was a Norwegian composer, violinist and violist. He was born in Kristiania, now Oslo. He played with symphonic orchestras in Stavanger and Oslo. In the 1920s he travelled to European cities such as Paris, Munich and Berlin, where he received musical inspiration and contacts. From 1928 to 1943, Brustad was viola soloist with Philharmonic Society Orchestra in Oslo. He wrote symphonies, compositions for violin and orchestra, chamber music and opera. His opera Atlantis was finished in 1945. After World War II he was also active in organizing work. and Trond Øyen. He died in Oslo. Selected works ;Stage * Atlantis, Opera (1945) ;Orchestral * Suite No. 1 (1920) * Berceuse and Waltz for chamber orchestra * Perpetum Mobile for chamber orchestra (1924, revised 1958) * Norsk Suite (Norwegian Suite) (1926, 1961); original version for viola and piano * Concerto Grosso: En studie (1938) * Symphony No. 1 (1948) * Ouvertyre (Overture) (1950) * Symphony No. 2 (1951) * Suite No. 2 (1952) * Symphony No. 3 (1953) * Kinderspiele, Suite for chamber orchestra (1955) * Cabaret for chamber orchestra (1958) * Day-Dreams for chamber orchestra (1958) * French Suite

Bjørn Bolstad Skjelbred

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Bjørn Bolstad Skjelbred (born 1970) is a Norwegian composer, arranger, improviser and teacher. Career Skjelbred was educated at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He has composed more than 60 works across a variety of genres, including solo and chamber music, electro-acoustic pieces, works for sinfonietta and orchestra, as well as film and theatre scores. He has collaborated with various groups, ensembles, and performers, including theatre collective De Utvalgte, percussionist Eirik Raude, ensemble Pärlor for svin, Nordic Voices, Ensemble 2000, and flautist Marianne Leth. Skjelbred’s works have seen performances in the Nordic countries, Germany, France, the US, and Canada at festivals such as Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Ilios, and UKM. Parallel to his compositional career, Skjelbred teaches composition and improvisation. He has also served as deputy director of Ny Musikk Oslo and as a member of the board for the Norwegian Society of Composers. Selected works Large ensembles * Different Rooms (2017) * On Shaking Ground commissioned by Manger Musikklag (2015) * Shadows of an Anthem II - 2014, commissioned and premiered by Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2014) * Wave-Chains Liq

Bjørn Fongaard

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Bjørn Fongaard (2 March 1919 in Oslo – 26 October 1980 in Oslo) was a Norwegian composer, guitarist, and teacher. In addition to being concerned with microtonal and electronic music, he was perhaps the first to use the prepared guitar. “Fongaard’s output is considerable…Due to the partly experimental notation, these works have not become widely known.” He started off by constructing a quarter tone guitar with adaption of the fretboard, but very early left this in favor of a diverse set of prepared guitar techniques. His first pieces in this genre came in the mid 60’s. A sampler CD of his own recordings entitled Elektrofoni: Works For Micro Intervallic Guitar 1965-1978 was released in 2011. In 2015, a double disc of new recordings by Norwegian guitarist Anders Førisdal was released on Aurora Records. List of works *Galaxy op. 46 *Homo Sapiens op. 80 *Genesis *Sinfonia Microtonalis op. 79 *Orchestra Antiphonalis *Symphony of Space *Universum *Mare Tranquilitatis *23 Concertos for Piano and Orchestra 0p. 118 *12 Concertos for Solo Instrument and Orchestra op. 120 *21 String Quartets op. 123 *57 Sonatas for One Instrument op. 125 *41 Concertos for Solo Instrument and Tape op. 131 Ref

Bjørn G. Gjerstrøm

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Bjørn G. Gjerstrøm (7 June 1939 – 7 May 2017) was a Norwegian contemporary composer. Biography Bjørn G. Gjerstrøm was born in Oslo on 7 June 1939. From an early age, Gjerstrøm’s interest in music was influenced by his parents, the composer and organist Gunnar Gjerstrøm and music teacher Elsa Gjerstrøm. His mother began teaching him piano from the age of 4-5. He completed his first composition at the age of 9. At the age of twelve, his first compositions, 5 piano pieces that he performed on Norwegian and Swedish radio, were published by Norsk Notestikk and Forlag. In the 1960s, Gjerstrøm studied with Trygve Lindeman and Conrad Baden at the Oslo Conservatory or Music, where he attended classes in music theory, harmony and composition. He also studied piano with Waldemar Alme and Ivar Johnsen. From 1969 to 1976 he studied composition with Hallvard Johnsen. Gjerstrøm’s list of works encompasses film scores, orchestral works, chamber music as well as solo pieces for flute, oboe, guitar and accordion. Gjerstrøm has also penned songs for poems by Peter R. Holm, Stein Mehren, Arnulf Øverland and Elsa Gjerstrøm. Bjørn G. Gjerstrøm died on 7 May 2017, at the age of 77. Production Selected wo

Borghild Holmsen

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Borghild Holmsen (22 October 1865 – 4 December 1938) was a Norwegian pianist, teacher, music critic and composer. She is thought to be the first Norwegian woman to perform a concert featuring only her own compositions. Early life and education Borghild Holmsen was born on 22 October 1865 in Vevelstad, Akershus to proprietor Thorvald Holmsen. When she was 7 years old, her family settled in Christiania (now Oslo). She began playing the piano at an early age and soon began composing compositions. Holmsen studied piano with Agathe Backer-Grøndahl and Otto Winter-Hjelm, and then in 1885 joined the Music Conservatory in Leipzig where she was tutored by Carl Reinecke and Salomon Jadassohn, as well as by Albert Becker in Berlin. She made her debut in 1890 in Christiania. Her first work, a violin sonata in G major, was performed at one of the conservatory’s public student concerts, which received positive attention. Despite this, she was rejected for a scholarship to further her studies. Holmsen remained in Leipzig, where she became a piano teacher. But she still continued to perform concerts during this time, including a matinee in December 1895 at the Blüthner-Saal in Berlin. Between 1890

Carl Arnold (composer)

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Carl Arnold (full name Friedrich Carl Gottfried Arnold; 6 May 1794 – 11 November 1873) was a German pianist, composer, conductor, teacher and organist. From 1848 he lived in Christiania (now Oslo) in Norway, and was important in the musical life of the city. Life Arnold was born in Neunkirchen near Bad Mergentheim in 1794, son of the cellist and composer Johann Gottfried Arnold and his wife Luisa Katharina. His father gave him early music lessons; after his death in 1806, Carl became an adoptive son of Johann Anton André. He was a pupil of André and of Georg Jacob Vollweiler and Aloys Schmitt. He first gave a concert as a pianist in Frankfurt in 1815, and in the following years he gave concerts in European cities including Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Leipzig and Warsaw. From 1819 he lived in Saint Petersburg, teaching and giving concerts. He moved to Berlin in 1824, and taught at the Prussian court. In 1835 he became music director in Münster; during his time there he conducted oratorios of Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn. Arnold was engaged in 1848 as conductor of the Philharmoniske Selskab (“Philharmonic Society”) in Christiania (now Oslo), and in the following years was important in t

Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen

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Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen (April 25, 1903 – November 8, 1984) was a Norwegian violinist and composer. His composition style is lyrical with a strong grounding in Norwegian folk tunes. Life Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen was born in Stavanger, Norway. When he was a year old, the family moved to Copenhagen, but settled in Oslo during 1909. From 1922, he studied violin with Herman van der Vegt. In 1923, he became a violinist at the Oslo Philharmonic. He continued there for the next ten years. From 1926 until 1930, he received instruction in composition from Norwegian composer Fartein Valen. He also traveled to Berlin, Germany to study with composer Max Butting from 1930-31. He also traveled to London to study with Australian-born composer and pianist Percy Grainger in 1936. Starting in 1934, he accepted a teaching position at Griegakademiet, the music conservatory in Bergen, Norway. His teaching position continued until the early 1940s. During the same period he conducted for the Bergen Trade Unions Choir. Olsen was also a critic for the newspaper Bergens Tidende. In 1936, he became a nationally sponsored artist (komponistgasje) and had started receiving state income for artists. In 1937, he

Catharinus Elling

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Catharinus Elling (13 September 1858 – 8 January 1942) was a Norwegian music teacher, organist, music critic, and composer. He was also a folk music collector and the author of a number of books. Biography Elling was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Andreas Schaft Elling (1818–1872) and Pauline Bangsboe (1826–1905). His brother was engineer Ægidius Elling (1861–1949). As a composer, he wrote symphonies, a violin concerto, chamber music, an opera, and more than 200 songs, most in the 1890–1905 period. His works are seldom performed now, but many musicians were influenced by him, such as Fartein Valen, who studied music under Elling. Elling is principally known for his extensive work on collecting and recording Norwegian folk music. Elling was named a Government scholar in 1899. He continued a folk music collection across many rural parts of the country: Trøndelag, Gudbrandsdalen, Oppland, Telemark, Setesdal, Valdres and Sunnfjord. At the same time, folk music collector Olav Sande (1850–1927) was also named to a state stipend, and the two divided the country between them; Sande taking the music tradition from Sogn to Vest-Agder. Elling’s mandate was to collec

Cecilie Ore

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Cecilie Ore (born 19 July 1954) is a Norwegian composer. Biography Cecilie Ore was born in Oslo, Norway, and studied piano at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She also studied piano in Paris, and composition at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht, and with Ton de Leeuw at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. During the eighties, Ore gained international acclaim for several of her electro-acoustic works. 1988 saw her winning both the first and second prize at the International Rostrum for Composers in the Electro Acoustic category for her work Etapper. The same year saw Ore bestowed with the Norwegian Society of Composers´ Work of the Year Award for the orchestral work Porphyre. Towards the end of the 80s, Orce gradually introduced a compositional focus on time, a focus that would lead to work cycles Codex Temporis and Tempura Mutantur. Codex Temporis comprises works Praesens Subitus (for string quartet 1989), Futurum Exactum (for 12 strings 1992), Erat Erit Est (for sinfonietta 1991) and Lex Temporis (for string quartet 1992). The ideas presented in Codex Temporis were further developed in Tempura Mutantor which is made up of works Non Nunquam (for string trio 1999), Nu

Chriss Rune Olsen Angvik

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Chriss Rune Olsen Angvik (born 12 August 1988 in Molde, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (guitar and vocals) and composer, and known from the bands Red Hot and Envy and the current member of Point and the former member of backing band guitarist and composer for Nico & Vinz. Career Angvik started the R&B band Red Hot together with friends from Romsdal in 2006. In 2008 they were invited to play together with Vidar Busk at the international festival Moldejazz. He won the final of the Emergenza festival 2011, with the band Envy (Nico & Vinz). Residing in Oslo, Angvik led his own band Chemical Music. Honors *2011: Emergenza festival winner within the band Envy (Nico & Vinz) Discography ;With Red Hot *2008: Hotter Than Georgia Asphalt (Bluesnews Records) *2010: My Arrival EP (Bluesnews Records) ;With Envy alias Nico & Vinz *2012: The Magic Soup and the Bittersweet Faces (Universal Music Group) *2014: Black Star Elephant (Warner Bros. Records) Point *2021: Icon *2022 :Echo *2022 : “Hold Me Now " and “The Fire” *2023 Marionette References External links *Red Hot Website

Christian Cappelen

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Christian Cappelen (26 January 1845 – 11 May 1916) was a Norwegian organist and composer. Biography Cappelen was born in Drammen, Norway. He studied under Ludvig Mathias Lindeman and at the Leipzig Conservatoire. In 1887, after 20 years as organist in Drammen (Strømsø and Bragernes), he became organist at Vår Frelsers kirke (Oslo Cathedral), a position he held until his death in 1916. He gained a prominent position of the Norwegian Church music. He was also teacher at the practical-theological seminary at the University of Oslo from 1890 until 1916. Cappelen was known as a highly skilled organ player and improviser, and he gave concerts all over Norway. As a composer he is within the romantic era, and was influenced by Mendelssohn and Schumann. He published some songs, piano pieces, organ works, cantatas, and more. Especially known is his melody to the hymn “Min lodd falt mig liflig”, which was part of the cantata for the 25-year anniversary of (Oslo Deacon Hospital) in 1894. In the Norwegian hymn book (1986), it was called “Min Herre har kalt meg”. This hymn is missing from the Norwegian hymn book of 2013, but the melody is passed on to the hymn “Mer hellighet gi meg”. Cappelen al

Christian Sinding

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Christian August Sinding (11 January 18563 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known for his lyrical work for piano Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring, 1896). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his successor. Personal life Sinding was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway. His parents were mine superintendent Matthias Wilhelm Sinding and Cecilie Marie Mejdell. He was a brother of the painter Otto Sinding and the sculptor Stephan Sinding. His sister Thora Cathrine Sinding was married to jurist Glør Thorvald Mejdell. Christian Sinding was a nephew of Nicolai Mejdell and Thorvald Mejdell. He was also a first cousin of journalist and writer Alfred Sinding-Larsen. In November 1898 he married actress Augusta Gade, née Smith-Petersen (1858–1936). She was the daughter of Morten Smith-Petersen and Cathrine von der Lippe. She had previously been married to physician and art patron Fredrik Georg Gade. Career He studied music first in Christiania (now Oslo) before going to Germany, where he studied at the conservatory in Leipzig under Salomon Jadassohn and fell under the musical influences of Wagner and Liszt. He lived in Germany for much of his life, but re

Conrad Baden

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Conrad Baden (31 August 1908 – 11 June 1989 ) was a Norwegian organist, composer, music educator, and music critic. He had an extensive production of orchestral works, chamber music, vocal works and church music. He is considered one of the most important Norwegian composers of the 20th century. Biography Studies He received his first music lessons from his organist father who died when Conrad was 17 years old and about to complete business school. He devoted himself to music and studied piano and organ with the local organist Daniel Hanssen. The young talent soon played to services and oratories. 19 years old, Baden was given organist position in Strømsgodset church. He studied counterpoint with Palestrina expert Per Steenberg and instrumentation and composition with the composer Bjarne Brustad. A breakthrough as an orchestral composer came in 1955 with the performance of Symphony No. 1. A unique neoclassical work is the Fairytale Suite for Orchestra (1960), inspired by Norwegian traditional stories. Composer Baden composed works in a number of forms, bar opera and electronic music. As a composer, he was highly active. In addition to his vocation as a professional organist through

Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe

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Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe (10 December 1926 – 1 February 2013) was a Norwegian musicologist, composer, music critic and biographer. He was a lecturer at the University of Oslo for thirty years, from 1973 with the title of professor. His research mainly centered on the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Life and career Schjelderup-Ebbe was born in Oslo as the son of zoologist Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe and Torbjørg Brekke. He graduated in musicology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1950, and started teaching at the University of Oslo the same year. In 1953 he published the work A Study of Grieg’s Harmony, and in 1964 the work Edvard Grieg 1858–1867, which was also the basis for his doctorate thesis. In addition to his university assignment he also worked as a music critic for the newspaper Vårt Land from 1957 to 1963, and for Verdens Gang from 1963 to 1973. He was appointed professor at the University of Oslo from 1973 to 1980. He co-wrote the biography Edvard Grieg – mennesket og kunstneren in 1980, together with Finn Benestad. It has also been translated into German and Russian language. References

Dagfinn Koch

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Dagfinn Koch (born 24 July 1964, in Kristiansund, Norway) is a musician. Education He studied at the State Academy of music (Norges musikkhøgskole) (Lasse Thoresen, composition; Olav Anton Thommessen, orchestration; Bjørn Kruse, arranging; Mads Claesson, Arild Erikstad og Tore Simonsen, music technology; Otto Berg, viola), and at Hochschule (now Universität) der Künste Berlin (Witold Szalonek, composition). Music career He has been freelancing since 1994, and has written music for orchestra, chamber and theatre music, opera, ballet and fine art installations. Besides that has he worked as an arranger for amongst others Finn Coren and Lucifer Was. He has been a member of the Oslo Philharmonic program committee and a member of the board in the Composers society and in the evaluation committee of TONO (the Norwegian BIEM/ASCAP). In addition to composition, he has worked in a youth club, as a teacher in a music school in Oslo, Bærum and Bergen, as a music copyist and engraver, and as a sound engineer (Henie-Onstad Art center). He has received several scholarships from TONO and was granted a two-year scholarship from the Norwegian Ministry for Cultural Affairs in 2006. He was accepted a

Edmund Neupert

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(Carl Fredrik) Edmund Neupert (1 April 184222 June 1888) was a Norwegian music teacher, pianist and composer. Among Neupert’s compositions, the 24 Concert-Etüden and the 24 Octav-Etüden are especially highly regarded. Biography Neupert was born on 1 April 1842, in Christiana (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Herman Wilhelm Neupert (1806–78) and Caroline Friederike Wiedmayer (1814–1878). His father was a musician and piano teacher. He was now best remembered as the soloist at the world premiere of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. This occurred on 3 April 1869 in the Casino Concert Hall in Copenhagen, with the Royal Danish Orchestra conducted by Holger Simon Paulli. The piano used for the performance was lent for the occasion by Anton Rubinstein, who attended the concert. Grieg himself was not present, due to commitments back home in Norway. Neupert was also the dedicatee of the second edition of the concerto (Rikard Nordraak was the original dedicatee), and was said to have actually composed the cadenza in the first movement. Family In 1870, Neupert was married to Hilda Bergh (1848–1934) and the couple had one son Robert Isidor Neuper (1871–1894). He died on 22 June 188

Edvard Bræin

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Edvard Bræin (3 April 1887 - 20 September 1957) was a Norwegian organist, composer, and orchestra conductor, the father of the composer Edvard Fliflet Bræin (1924–76). Biography Bræin was born in Kristiansund, and was married to Magnhild Fliflet (1899–1967). He got his musical education at the Conservatory of Music in Oslo (1906–09), and debuted as organist in 1905. He earned his organist exam in 1907 and debuted as orchestra conductor in 1909. Bræin studied music under Bernhard Heinrich Irrgang and Jean Paul Ertel in Berlin (1910–11). He was organist in Ormøens Church, Østre Aker (1907–12), and organist in Kristiansund from 1912. In 1919 Bræin was conductor of the Kristiansund Symphony Orchestra. He was also conductor of several choirs in the Kristiansund area. He received state aid for collecting folk music, published in 10 pamphlets, Folk music from Nordmøre (1930–40). Composed music for Choir and Orchestra, including Serenade for Bratsj and orchestra (performed in 1943), and a number of songs. and Bræin’s Choir * Has guest conducted in Filharmonisk Selskab, Oslo, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and in Sweden * Given a host of organ concerts * Led the performance of several o

Edvard Fliflet Bræin

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Edvard Fliflet Bræin (23 August 1924 – 30 April 1976) was a Norwegian composer and conductor. He is best remembered for the composition Ut mot havet and the opera Anne Pedersdotter. Personal life Bræin was born in Kristiansund as the son of composer, conductor and organist Edvard Bræin (1887–1957) and his wife Magnhild Fliflet. He married Karen Torjusen in 1946. His debut as conductor was in Bergen in 1947, with Musikselskabet Harmoniens orkester. His first symphony was finished in 1950, his second in 1954, and his third in 1968. His best-known composition is Ut mot havet from 1964, originally a song melody (with lyrics by Henrik Straumsheim), and later versions include an arrangement for orchestra, a piano version, and several choir versions. He has further composed melodies for songs with lyrics by Einar Skjæraasen, Jakob Sande, Hartvig Kiran and Johan Herman Wessel. He composed two operas. The opera Anne Pedersdotter was first performed at Den Norske Opera in 1971. It has a libretto by Hans Kristiansen based on a play by Hans Wiers-Jenssen, which was inspired by the witch trial in 1590 against Anne Pedersdotter, the widow of priest Absalon Pederssøn Beyer. The comic opera Den St

Edvard Grieg

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Background#

Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. His parents were Alexander Grieg (1806–1875), a merchant and the British Vice-Consul in Bergen, and Gesine Judithe Hagerup (1814–1875), a music teacher and daughter of solicitor and politician Edvard Hagerup. The family name, originally spelled Greig, is associated with the Scottish Clann Ghriogair (Clan Gregor). Grieg’s great-grandfather, Alexander Greig (1739–1803), travelled widely before settling in Norway about 1770 and establishing business interests in Bergen. Grieg’s paternal great-great-grandparents, John (1702–1774) and Anne (1704–1784), are buried in the abandoned churchyard of the ruined Church of St Ethernan in Rathen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Edvard Grieg was raised in a musical family. His mother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play when he was age six. He studied in several schools, including Tanks Upper Secondary School. In the summer of 1858, Grieg met the eminent Norwegian violinist Ole Bull, who was a family friend; Bull’s brother was married to Grieg’s aunt. Bull recognized the 15-year-old boy’s talent and persuaded his parents to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory, Grieg enrolled in the conservatory, concentrating on piano, and enjoyed the many concerts and recitals given in Leipzig. He disliked the discipline of the conservatory course of study. An exception was the organ, which was mandatory for piano students. About his study in the conservatory, he wrote to his biographer, Aimar Grønvold, in 1881: “I must admit, unlike Svendsen, that I left Leipzig Conservatory just as stupid as I entered it. Naturally, I did learn something there, but my individuality was still a closed book to me.” In the spring of 1860, he survived two life-threatening lung diseases, pleurisy and tuberculosis. Throughout his life, Grieg’s health was impaired by a destroyed left lung and considerable deformity of his thoracic spine. He suffered from numerous respiratory infections, and ultimately developed combined lung and heart failure. Grieg was admitted many times to spas and sanatoria both in Norway and abroad. Several of his doctors became his friends.

Edvard Hagerup Bull (composer)

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Edvard Hagerup Bull (10 June 1922 – 15 March 2012 ) was a Norwegian composer. He was born in Bergen. He grew up in Jar outside Oslo in a musical and politically active family, the son of Sverre Hagerup Bull and his wife Aldis Jebsen. His paternal grandfather was politician and judge Edvard Hagerup Bull, who was a cousin of the composer Edvard Hagerup Grieg. During September 1955 he married Anna Kvarme. Bull studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and at the Conservatoire de Paris where he won the 1952 . He was awarded the prize for musical composition from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He had additional training with the Austrian-born musicologist, Josef Rufer. Other teachers include Jean Rivier and Olivier Messiaen. His teacher Darius Milhaud described him as “a musician with a solid technique and a truly very enthralling, vigorous and highly imaginative personality”. Edvard Hagerup Bull became a notable composer. He wrote two operas and thirty orchestral works and chamber music. Selected works *Den standhaftige tindsoldat, 1948–49 *Sinfonia di Teatro 1950 *Concerto N°1 pour trompette et orchestre, 1950 *Escapades, orkestersuite, 1952 *Marione

Egil Hovland

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Egil Hovland (October 18, 1924 – February 5, 2013) was a Norwegian composer. Hovland was born in Råde. He studied at the Oslo conservatory with Arild Sandvold and Bjarne Brustad, in Copenhagen with Vagn Holmboe, at Tanglewood with Aaron Copland, and in Florence with Luigi Dallapiccola. He was the organist and choir leader in Fredrikstad from 1949 until his death. His many works include two symphonies, a concerto for trumpet and strings, Music for Ten Instruments, a set of variations for two pianos, and a lament for orchestra. His sacred works include a Norwegian Te Deum, a Gloria, a Magnificat, and numerous works for organ, and he was one of Norway’s most noted church composers. He wrote in diverse styles, including Norwegian-Romantic, Gregorian, neo-classical, twelve-tone, aleatoric, and serial. In honor of his work as a composer and organist, 1983 he was knighted into the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. In 1992, he received the Fritt Ord Honorary Award. He was one of the most productive contemporary Norwegian composers. Compositions Works for orchestra * 1951 Festival Ouverture opus 18 * 1952–1953 Symphony No. 1—Symphonia Veris opus 20 * 1954–1955 Symphony No. 2, opus 24 * 195

Einar Selvik

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Einar Selvik (born 18 November 1979), also known by his stage name Kvitrafn (“white raven”), is a Norwegian musician known for being the drummer of black metal band Gorgoroth from 2000 to 2004, and for fronting the Nordic folk project Wardruna, founded in 2002. Selvik and Wardruna earned international prominence for contributing to the soundtrack and score of the television show Vikings. Selvik is a founder of By Norse, a platform to support Norse and Norse-related art, music, literature, film and culture. Musical career On 1 March 2016, A Piece for Mind & Mirror by Skuggsjá, a collaboration between Selvik and Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson, was announced and streamed. Commissioned by the Norwegian government for the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution, the album tells the history of Norway, and was released by Season of Mist on 11 March. Selvik has also recorded with other projects including Det Hedenske Folk, Bak de Syv Fjell, Jotunspor, Sahg, Dead to this World and Faun. He worked on the soundtrack for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and collaborated with Riot Games for the theme song of Volibear, a League of Legends character. Personal life Einar Selvik was born and grew up on

Eirik Glambek Bøe

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Eirik Glambek Bøe (born 25 October 1975) is a Norwegian musician, writer and vocalist, best known for being part of the indie folk duo Kings of Convenience with Erlend Øye. He has a degree in psychology from the University of Bergen. Although his native language is Norwegian, many of his writings are in English. He formed the band Skog together with Øye in the 1990s. They formed Kings of Convenience in 1998 and released their first album Quiet Is The New Loud in 2001 (the same year Øye featured in Röyksopp’s critically acclaimed debut album Melody A.M.). The duo then went on to release the single Toxic Girl followed by their second album Riot on an Empty Street in 2004. In 2006 he featured in Øye’s band The Whitest Boy Alive, and at a lesser degree Kommode, largely made up of the members of Skog. In a rare guest appearance on NPR, Bøe sings on the track “How My Heart Behaves” on Feist’s 2007 The Reminder. In October 2009 Kings of Convenience released their third studio album Declaration of Dependence on Astralwerks. In 2017, Bøe led Kommode alongside Øystein Gjærder Bruvik and released Analog Dance Music, an album that “lets the band play on if the groove is good and the harmonies

Eivind Buene

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Eivind Buene (born 7 September 1973 in Oslo) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Biography 1992 to 1998 saw Buene studying pedagogics and composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In 1999 and 2000 he was contemporary music ensemble Oslo Sinfonietta’s composer in residence. From 2000 onwards, Buene has been active as a freelance composer, based in Oslo, writing for a number of ensembles and orchestras at home and abroad. His roster of received commissions includes works written for Ensemble Intercontemporain, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Fondation Royaumont and a variety of Scandinavian orchestras and ensembles. The main bulk of Buene’s list of works consists of compositions for soloists, ensembles and orchestras, but the composer has also focused on work with improvising musicians, developing music in the cross-section between classical notation and improv. Buene’s works have seen performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philharmonie and Centre Pompidou. His debut as a stage composer came in August 2006 with the one act chamber opera September, based on Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. 2012 saw Buene being bestowed with a Spellemannsprisen Award, the Norweg

Eivind Groven

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Eivind Groven (8 October 1901 – 8 February 1977) was a Norwegian composer and music-theorist. He was from the traditional region of Vest-Telemark and had a background in the folk music of the area. Biography Groven was born in the village of Lårdal in Telemark, Norway. Groven’s rural background was filled with traditional music. He came from a family of talented musicians and artists, prominent in his home area. His father, Olav Åsmundsson Gjøitil (1865–1947) was the youngest of eight siblings. Two of his father’s brothers played the hardanger fiddle. His mother, Aslaug Rikardsdotter Berge (1863–1946), was the youngest daughter of Rikard Aslaksson Berge, known for preserving a great amount of old tunes, religious songs and dance-tunes and a friend of Myllarguten’s. Two of Groven’s maternal uncles also played the hardanger fiddle, and his mother’s sisters, as well as Aslaug herself, were talented folk singers. Groven was the youngest of five brothers. Two of his brothers began to play the fiddle, and soon Eivind joined them. His father Olav was also an apt player, and in their childhood, the brothers learned notes, and sometimes played together, when they got their hands on classica

Erik Dæhlin

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Erik Schwensen Dæhlin (born 14 July 1976 in Oslo) is a Norwegian composer and performance artist. Dæhlin studied percussion at the University of Tromsø, at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts as well as composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music under the tutorship of Olav Anton Thommessen, Asbjørn Schaathun and Henrik Hellstenius. Dæhlin graduated in 2006 and has been active as a composer since 1997. As a percussionist, Dæhlin has been a member of a number of ensembles including NING and Puls as well as the performance project SPLOING. Throughout his career as a composer, Dæhlin has maintained a focus on instrumental and musical theatre genres, where the player’s performativity is played out in and beyond the musical material, and in the context of the performance mold used. Key Dæhlin works in this context include Our Picture is Continuous Fractions, Bildebeskrivelse, On Return to Scale, Desiring Machines, Absence is the Only Real and Forvandlinger. Dæhlin’s list of works includes solo- and chamber music works in addition to electro-acoustic pieces for performers, ensembles and orchestral institutions including Karin Hellqvist, Håkon Stene, Ingfrid Breie Nyhus, the Norwegian

Erlend Øye

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Erlend Otre Øye (born 21 November 1975) is a Norwegian composer, musician, producer, singer and songwriter from Bergen, best known for being one half of the indie folk duo Kings of Convenience, along with Eirik Glambek Bøe. Among other musical projects he is front-man for the band The Whitest Boy Alive, and has contributed to tracks by electronic music artists such as Dntel and Norwegian duo Röyksopp. He is also the co-founder of the independent label Bubbles Records. Since 2012 he has lived in Sicily and played extensively with trio La Comitiva. In addition to his native Norwegian, he also speaks English and some Italian. Biography Bergen Erlend Øye was born on 21 November 1975 in Bergen, his parents met in 1974 in a demonstration in support of the victims of the 1973 Chilean coup d’état against Salvador Allende that took place in Bergen, at which time his father read a poem, which allowed him to meet Øye’s mother. Having grown up listening to Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Suzanne Vega and The Smiths, during high school in the early-mid 1990s, he and some of his friends formed the band Skog (“forest” in Norwegian), taking inspiration from the famous song “A Forest” by The Cure. In 19

Espen Selvik

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Espen Selvik is a Norwegian conductor, composer, music reviewer in , writer, advisor of the Reksten Foundation and director of Gulatinget. He is also honorary consul of the republic of Lithuania. Selvik has composed five symphonies and two oratorios. He composed and performed a special piece, for lur (a wooden shepherd’s horn), choir and orchestra, marking the visit of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon to Orkney in April 2014. He played a lur originally given to Norway’s King Olav V and donated by his son Harold V, to raise funds for a community centre on Orkney. Compositions * * * * * * * * References External links * Kalevala’s gentle giants weekly.ahram.org 2003 * Uken14

Eyvind Alnæs

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Eyvind Alnæs (29 April 1872 – 24 December 1932) was a Norwegian composer, pianist, organist and choir director. Personal life Alnæs was born in Fredrikstad, as the son of headmaster Johannes Jørgen Lauritz Alnæs (1835–1916) and Elise Martine Hansen (1851–1931). He married Emilie Thorne (1882–1976) in 1903. He was the father of author Lise Børsum, and grandfather of novelist Finn Alnæs and artist Bente Børsum. Career In 1888 he was enrolled at the Music and Organist School in Oslo (Musikkonservatoriet i Oslo). Alnæs studied piano with Westye Waaler, organ with Peter Brynie Lindeman as well as harmony, counterpoint and composition with Iver Holter. In April 1892, after Alnæs had finished his studies in Oslo, he studied in Leipzig with Carl Reinecke and, after the première of his first symphony in 1896, in Berlin with Julius Ruthardt. For many years he played the organ in several churches and conducted choirs. During the years 1895-1907 he was organist at Bragernes Church in Drammen. From 1907 to 1916 he was at Uranienborg Church in Oslo and between 1916 and 1932 at Oslo Cathedral. He helped found the Norwegian Society of Composers in 1917 and served as chairman from 1921 to 1923. Aln

Fartein Valen

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Olav Fartein Valen (25 August 1887 – 14 December 1952) was a Norwegian composer, notable for his work in atonal polyphonic music. He developed a polyphony similar to Bach’s counterpoint, but based on motivic working and dissonance rather than harmonic progression. Biography Early life Valen was born in Stavanger, Norway in 1887 into a deeply Christian religious family and maintained his religious beliefs all his life. His parents were missionaries, and he spent five years of his childhood in Madagascar. In addition to his aptitude for music, he was also a polyglot, mastering at least nine languages. He earned his examen artium with the highest grades in all subjects except mathematics. He loved cats, nature and literature, cultivated roses (even developed an award-winning hybrid), and after losing them in a devastating freeze took up growing cacti. Musical career In 1906, Valen moved to Kristiania (today’s Oslo) to study Norwegian literature and language but also took classes with Catharinus Elling (1858–1942) at the Oslo Conservatory of Music, graduating with a degree in organ playing. In 1909 he moved to Berlin to study piano, theory, and composition at the Music Academy with (am

Finn Mortensen

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Finn Einar Mortensen (January 6, 1922 – May 23, 1983) was a Norwegian composer, critic and educator. Mortensen was born in Oslo. His parents were publisher Ernst Gustav Mortensen (1887–1966) and Anna Marie Damnæs (1886–1960). Mortensen grew up in a publishing environment and it was at first expected that he would go into his father’s publishing firm, Ernst G. Mortensens Forlag A/S. He studied harmony with Thorleif Eken (1900–1955), composition with Klaus Egge and with Niels Viggo Bentzon at The Royal Danish Academy, as well as the piano and double bass at the Oslo Conservatory of Music. He also participated in the Darmstadt summer school and in the classes conducted by Karlheinz Stockhausen at the Studio für Elektronische Musik in Cologne. The first public presentation of one of Mortensen’s compositions was the Trio for Strings, Op. 3, which was played at the Young Nordic Music Festival in Oslo in 1950. In April 1954 he had his debut as a composer, along with Øistein Sommerfeldt. He was the leader of the group Ny Musikk, a Norwegian advocacy group for contemporary music, between 1961 and 1964, and between 1966 and 1967. From 1963-73, he was a music critic in Dagbladet, and he was a

Fredrikke Egeberg

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Annichen Fredrikke Sophie Egeberg (23 November 1815 – 16 May 1861) was a Norwegian pianist and composer. Early life and family Annichen Fredrikke Sophie Egeberg was born in Christiania on 23 November 1815 to Westye Egeberg (1770–1830), a Danish immigrant and businessman, and Anna Sophie Muus (1775–1862). Her family became wealthy through her father’s lumber company. Egeberg was the youngest of nine children and their only daughter. She was the sister of Westye Martinus Egeberg and physician Christian Egeberg, and an aunt of Ferdinand Julian Egeberg, Einar Westye Egeberg, Sr. and Theodor Christian Egeberg. Violinist Ole Bull was a friend of the family and often played at the family chamber music concerts. Egeberg’s brother, Christian, became an accomplished amateur cellist. Her two nieces, Anna Egeberg and Fredrikke Lindboe, also became composers of songs and piano pieces. Later life and death She never married. During the last few years of her life, Egeberg lived on the Berg farm in Sem in Vestfold, where she died on 16 May 1861, at the age of 45. She was buried at Cemetery of Our Saviour in Christiania. Per her wishes, a large portion of her family inheritance went to Ole Bull’s t

Frode Alnæs

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Frode Alnæs (born 3 March 1959) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer, known from cooperation with international artists like Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, Arild Andersen, Jon Balke, Ole Edvard Antonsen, Ketil Bjørnstad, Henning Sommerro, Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ian Hunter, Bjørn Alterhaug, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Gustav Lorentzen, and Jan Erik Vold, and appearances in bands like Dance with a Stranger, Masqualero, Jazzpønkensemblet, and Sidsel Endresen Quartet. Career Alnæs was born in Kristiansund. After completing high school in Kristiansund, he attended the Nordmøre Music Folk High School in Surnadal 1978–79, followed by studies in Trondheim (1979–82), together with Tore Brunborg and Nils Petter Molvær. He was among the first to graduate from the Jazz program at the Trondheim Musikkonservatorium in 1982, where he received top marks in guitar playing. In 1987 Alnæs composed the music to rock opera Klæppfesk. References External links * *Dance with a Stranger Official Website

Geirr Tveitt

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Geirr Tveitt (born Nils Tveit; 19 October 1908 – 1 February 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Tveitt was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s. Life Early years Tveitt was born in Bergen, where his father briefly worked as a teacher. His parents were Håkonson Lars Tveit (1878–1951) and Johanna Nilsdotter Heradstveit (1882–1966). His family were of farmer stock, and still retained Tveit, their ancestral land in Kvam Municipality – a secluded area on the Hardangerfjord. The Tveit family would relocate to Drammen in the winter to work, but return to Hardanger in the summer to farm. Tveitt had originally been christened Nils, but following his increasing interest in Norwegian heritage, he thought the name was not Norwegian enough and changed it to Geir. He later added an extra r to his first name and an extra t to Tveit to indicate more clearly to non-Norwegians the desired pronunciation of his name. It was during his childhood summers in Hardanger that Tveitt gained knowledge of the rich folk-music traditions of the area. Historically, Hardanger’s relative isolation allowed for the development of a unique musical culture, with

Georg von Bertouch

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Georg von Bertouch (also Bertuch; 19 June 1668 – 14 September 1743) was a German-born Baroque composer and military officer who dwelt during most of his adult life in Norway. Biography Bertouch was born at Helmershausen in Franconia as Georg Bertuch. At age fifteen he began studying violin and composition in Eisenach. According to a letter he sent to Johann Mattheson, his first teacher was Daniel Eberlin (1647–1715). From 1691 to 1693 Bertouch lived in Kiel. In 1693 he took his doctorate in law with a dissertation entitled De eo quod justum est circa ludos scenicos operasque modernas. He entered military service in July 1693 and was to remain an officer of the Dano-Norwegian army for the rest of his life. He fought twenty-two battles and survived severe injuries. In 1719 he was appointed commander of Akershus Fortress in Christiania (now Oslo), where he continued to live until his death. Bertouch corresponded with several composers in Germany and elsewhere, e.g., Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Lotti. Mattheson dedicated his Das beschützte Orchestre to Bertouch and twelve other celebrities, including George Frideric Handel. Bertouch is remembered today for his collection of twent

Gerhard Schjelderup

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Gerhard Rosenkrone Schjelderup (November 17, 1859 – July 29, 1933) was a Norwegian composer, known especially for his operas. Biography Schjelderup was born in Kristiansand. Norway. One of five children, each with an artistic bent, his talent was encouraged from youth. The composer Mon Schjelderup was his cousin. In 1878 he traveled to Paris, where he studied cello with Auguste Franchomme and music theory with Augustin Savard. He also studied with Jules Massenet at the Conservatoire de Paris. By the time of his return to Norway, in 1884, he had already written a number of works. Schjelderup was introduced to the work of Richard Wagner while in Paris, and went to Germany for further exposure to his work. This in turn inspired him to write operas, which were to prove the bulk of his output, though he also composed a number of orchestral and chamber works. He wrote on music for Norwegian publications, and wrote biographies of Edvard Grieg and of Wagner. In 1921 together with Ole Mørk Sandvik, he published Norsk folkemusik, særlig Østlandsmusikken which was the first history of Norwegian music. Schjelderup was among the founders of the Norwegian Society of Composers (Norsk komponistfor

Gisle Kverndokk

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Gisle Kverndokk (born 3 February 1967 in Trondheim, raised in Skien) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Education In his teens, Kverndokk studied composition with Ragnar Søderlind. After having completed high school, Kverndokk enrolled at the Norwegian Academy of Music from which he graduated with diploma in 1994, having studied under the tutorship of Olav Anton Thommessen, Lasse Thoresen and Alfred Janson. Kverndokk has also studied at the Juilliard School in New York with John Corigliano and David Diamond. Career 1992 saw Kverndokk being bestowed with one of the main prizes of the Juilliard Composers Competition with his orchestral work Selene. For his work Initiasjon for fiolin og orkester, Kverndokk received the 1993 First Prize in the category for composers under the age of 30 at the International Rostrum of Composers held in Paris. Kverndokk has composed two solo concertos, both premiered by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Concerto for oboe and orchestra (1996) and Concerto for flute and orchestra (1998). His Peer Gynt Fantasi was composed for violinist Arve Tellefsen and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for a summer concert premiere at Oslo’s Holmenkollen in 2000. Durin

Glenn Erik Haugland

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Glenn Erik Haugland (born 29 May 1961, in New York City) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Career Throughout his career, Haugland has primarily focused on works for music theatre and electro-acoustic compositions. Experimentation through performance art, music drama and music theatre for children have also been key components of Haugland’s compositional output. Haugland’s list of works encompasses more than 100 works, including ten operas. In partnership with Heidi Tronsmo and Ståle Tråsdahl, Haugland founded the music theatre ensemble Opera Omnia in 1990. Following more than 30 music theatre productions, Opera Omnia premiered operas PoY! and Hulda og Garborg in 2000/2001. The children’s opera PoY! has seen more than 130 performances throughout Europe, while his chamber opera Hulda og Garborg has been performed a number of times domestically. Haugland has composed commissioned works for ensembles and orchestras including the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Domkantori, Raschér Saxofon Quartet, SISU, Den Nationale Scene and Agder Theatre. 2004 saw Haugland being nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize for his chamber opera Hulda og Garborg. In 2007, Haugland was bestow

Gunnar Sønstevold

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Gunnar Sønstevold (26 November 1912 – 18 October 1991) was a Norwegian composer. He was born in Elverum Municipality, and married composer Maj Sønstevold in 1941. He composed orchestral works, vocal music, chamber music, and music to a number of plays, ballets and films. He headed the Music Department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation/Television from 1966 to 1974. He was awarded Filmkritikerprisen in 1955, for the film Det brenner i natt!. He received the Arts Council Norway music prize in 1972, and Radioteatret’s honorary prize in 1987. Career Sønstevold studied music in Oslo, beginning in 1932 with piano studies with Nils Larsen and Erling Westher as well as composition studies with Karl Andersen. Parallel to his studies, Sønstevold played piano and trombone in one of the leading jazz quartet of the era: Funny Boys (1932–39). After the outbreak of World War II, Sønstevold fled to Sweden where he subsequently met the composer Maj Lundén whom he married in 1941. From 1946 to 1969, Sønstevold composed music for 40 motion pictures and three full-length documentaries. As a theatre composer, Sønstevold penned the score for Jens Bjørneboe’s Semmelweis, Henrik Ibsen’s Catalina, T

Håkon Berge

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Håkon Berge (born 22 April 1954) is a Norwegian contemporary composer, conductor and arranger. Berge was born in Stavanger. He studied composition at the Music Department at the University of Stavanger and the Norwegian Academy of Music. As a composer, Berge has contributed to stage productions at institutions such as Rogaland Teater, Den Nationale Scene and Oslo’s National Theatre. He has also contributed to TV productions, including the score for the domestically broadcast opera Gagarin – a space opera in 1991. Berge has penned a number of commissioned works, including a work written for the opening of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the opening work for Oslo’s Nobel Peace Center and the 2008 European Brass Band Championship test piece Brass Blot. As a freelancer, Berge has held positions as musical director, composer in residence and conductor at Norway’s major theatres and has written music for more than 70 plays. In addition to his work on music for theatre productions, Berge has received commissions from the Norwegian Society of Composers, the Norwegian Authors’ Union, Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, NRK and the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. Berge has held a numb

Halfdan Cleve

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Halfdan Cleve born Halfdan Klewe (5 October 1879 – 6 April 1951) was a Norwegian composer, and father of the singer and composer Cissi Cleve. Biography Cleve was born and raised in Kongsberg, Norway. He lived some time in Germany. Some examples of his output as a composer are piano concertos, other piano works, and some chamber music. He was described as a child prodigy. He married pianist (10 February 1878 – 23 September 1964) and they had four children. That same year, he married Berit Winderen, a student of Teresa Carreño, and made numerous concert appearances together, both in Norway and abroad. Cleve composed five piano concertos, a violin sonata, a piano quintet, songs with orchestral accompaniment and over one hundred piano pieces. In the last period of his life (1926–50), he worked as a piano teacher at Music Conservatory in Oslo and died 1951 in Oslo. Works * 1900: 7 Klaverstykker, op. 1 * 1901: Klaverkonsert nr. 1, op. 3 * 1904: Klaverkonsert nr. 2, op. 6 * 1907: Klaverkonsert nr. 3, op. 9 * 1908: Four songs with orchestra to palms by Olaf Schou, op. 11 * 1912: Klaverkonsert nr. 4, op. 12 * 1915: Klaverkonsert nr. 5, op. 20 * 1931: Sonata for violin and piano, op. 21 (op.

Halfdan Kjerulf

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Halfdan Kjerulf (17 September 181511 August 1868) was a Norwegian composer. Biography Kjerulf was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of a high government official. His early education was at Christiania University, for a legal career, but his studies ended in 1839 as a result of illness, and the next year he spent some time in Paris. Soon after his return his father and two siblings died and he took a job as a journalist at one of Oslo’s main newspapers, Den Constitutionelle where Andreas Munch (1811–1884) was editor and where Kjerulf worked until 1845. Kjerulf started his career as a music teacher and composer of songs before ever having seriously studied music at all, and not for ten years did he attract any particular notice. He was counted among those in the Modern Breakthrough movement in literature, painting and music which was replacing romanticism within Scandinavia. It was typified by the poet Johan Sebastian Welhaven, whose poems he set. In 1848 he studied with German musician and composer Carl Arnold (1794-1873), and after studying with Niels Gade (1817–1890) in Copenhagen, the Norwegian Government paid for a year’s instruction for him at Leipzig in 1

Halvor Haug

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Halvor Haug (20 February 1952 – 3 June 2025) was a Norwegian composer whose music has been performed internationally and widely recorded. Life and career Born in Trondheim, Haug studied with Kolbjørn Ofstad at the Oslo Conservatory, and from 1973 spent a year at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he studied with Einar Englund and Erik Bergman. While in London he took lessons from Robert Simpson. He was the first Norwegian festival composer chosen for the Stavanger Chamber Music Festival in 1996. The later Symphony No. 3 (1994) is tightly organized around a simple cell of four notes, and includes at the end the song of a Nightingale played on tape. Later works, including Insignia for chamber orchestra (commissioned from the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994), the Piano Trio (1995) and the String Quartet No. 1 (1996) are more dissonant and experimental. Haug lived at Harestua. He died on 3 June 2025, at the age of 73. Selected works * Violin Sonata (1973) * Tre “Utfall” for guitar (1973/74) * Symphonic Picture (1976) * Silence for strings (1977) * Symphonic Contours (1977) * Impression for Piano Solo (1980) * Poema Sonoro (1980) * Poema Patetico (1980) * Symphony No. 1 (1981/82) * Co

Harald Heide

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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

Håvard Gibøen

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Håvard Gibøen (2 March 1809 – 27 July 1873) was a Norwegian fiddler and composer, born on the municipality of Møsstrond, in Telemark. The area is a part of Tinn today. Among his folk tunes are “Haavard Gibøens draum ved Oterholtsbrue” and “Gibøens bruremarsj”. These tunes formed the basis for two compositions by Edvard Grieg, included in his opus 72, Slåtter. Life Håvard Gibøen came from a gifted family, and his father, Knut Gibøen, also played the fiddle. His mother, Åsne, was related to the Berge family at Rauland, to whom many other folk musicians were connected. Like his contemporary Myllarguten, he was taught by the known fiddler Knut Lurås from Tinn. Håvard was of small stature, and played in weddings and at feasts from early on. In his early years, he was so tiny he had to sit on a barrel, placed on a table, to be seen and heard. Unlike Myllarguten, he never left his home area, and hardly travelled farther than Kongsberg. He lived his whole life on his mountain farm, and eventually died there in 1873. His son, Kjetil, and his grandsons after him, were fiddlers in the same tradition - carried on to this very day. Musical style As Myllarguten was known for his improvisations a

Håvard Jørgensen

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Håvard Jørgensen (born 26 September 1975), also known as Haavard, Lemarchand, is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He was the original guitarist of the Norwegian black metal bands Satyricon and Ulver. Career Satyricon One of the initiators of the band Eczema (which later on became Satyricon) which started up in 1991. Eczema won (as the first death metal-act) the Oslo Championship of Rock in 1992 – and changed thereafter the name to Satyricon. Jørgensen participated on the first demo The Forest Is My Throne, but quit the band to join the newly founded Ulver in 1993. Ulver Jørgensen was with Ulver from 1993 to 2000, and later as a session-guitarist. Snøhvitt Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in Snøhvitt Discography Satyricon * Satyricon (demo, 1992) Ulver * Rehearsal 1993 (demo, 1993) * Vargnatt (demo, 1993) – acoustic guitar * Bergtatt – Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler (1994) – guitar * Kveldssanger (1995) – acoustic guitar, producer * Nattens Madrigal – Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden (1996) – guitar * The Trilogie – Three Journeyes Through the Norwegian Netherworlde (box set, 1997) – guitar * Themes from William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998) – electric guitar * Metam

Helge Hurum

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Helge Hurum (born 1 August 1936) is a Norwegian jazz musician, composer, arranger and musical director. Hurum has led several of Norway’s key big bands, including the Oslo University Big Band (1969–74), Norway’s Radio Big Band (1979–90), his own Helge Hurum Storband (1965–70), the EBU Big Band (1973), the Chateau Neuf Big Band and, in later years, the Oslo Big Band. Career Hurum studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and has practiced as an autodidact contemporary composer with his works being performed by orchestras such as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (Concentus ad Libitum, 1979) and a number of marching bands. Hurum’s works Fata Morgana (1984) and Canto for Solo Piccolo and String Quartet (1985) were bestowed with NOPA Work of the Year Awards. His works Vind fer Vide and Blåsere i høyfjellet received EBU first prizes, while his Peer Gynt Suite was performed at the opening ceremony for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer. Hurum’s list of works also includes a number of chamber music pieces for woodwinds and brass. Hurum has contributed to a number of outings and released two solo albums, Opus (1982) and Fata Morgana (1987). He has also performed his own compositio

Helge Iberg

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Helge Roald Iberg (born 1954) was educated at the University of Oslo in music in music, history of ideas, and religious studies. He holds a master’s degree in composition from the Norwegian Academy of Music Iberg began playing the piano at the age of 3-4. As an adult, he has navigated between the scores of contemporary classical music and modern jazz. His music has been commissioned and performed by Norway’s leading soloists and symphony orchestras. Iberg has written instrumental concertos for pianist Christian Ihle Hadland, violinist Terje Tønnesen, trumpeter Ole Edvard Antonsen, and violinist Atle Sponberg. In 2019, he completed the work Songs from the Planet of Life, a Concerto Grosso for symphony orchestra, five soloists, and two narrators. The work is inspired by Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. His new chamber opera, Great Expectations, is based on a piece by the internationally renowned playwright Fredrik Bratberg. Regarding the work Songs From the Planet of Life (2019), Guy Richards in Klassisk Musikkmagasin: “Nevertheless, it is Iberg’s music that is so seductive, its sparkling textures a constant delight expressed in rather calm movements, but always with musical in

Henning Sommerro

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Henning Sommerro (born 3 May 1952 in Surnadal Municipality) is a Norwegian musician, composer and professor at NTNU. Biography Sommerro grew up on the Sommerro farm at Skei in Surnadal Municipality. His name became widely known in 1977 when the folk music group Vårsøg released their recording of Hans Hyldbakk’s poem Vårsøg. Sommerro had his first lessons in organ and piano at the age of sixteen at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim. He studied organ there from 1970–1974, and from 1974–1976 he was organist in the villages of Stangvik and Todalen. From 1976–1977 he studied organ and composition at the music academy in Basel, and in 1978 he became director of music at the Teatret Vårt theatre in Molde. From 1985–1990 he was director of music at Trøndelag Teater. Additionally in the years 1986–1988 he was a music consultant for Norwegian radio (NRK P2). Since 1990 he has been a professor at the Department of Music of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (formerly the Trøndelag Musikkonservatorium). Sommerro’s performing career began in his youth as a member of the band The Tramps which later changed its name to Mad Movies. In 1977 he made his recording début with the fol

Henrik Hellstenius

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Henrik Hellstenius (born 28 April 1963) is a Norwegian composer and musicologist. Born in Bærum, Norway, Hellstenius studied musicology at the University of Oslo and composition with Lasse Thoresen, Olav Anton Thommessen and Bjørn Kruse at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He studied in 1992–1993 with Gérard Grisey at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in Paris, and he also studied computer-supported composition at IRCAM. Hellstenius is currently professor in composition and music theory at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Hellstenius’ compositional output spans a wide stylistic field, including opera, chamber music, orchestral works, electro-acoustic music and scores for theatre, film and ballet. His works have seen performances throughout the Nordics, Russia, Australia, the U.S., Canada, England, Scotland, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, France, Holland and Japan. His works have been featured at festivals such as the Bourges Festival for electro-acoustic music in France, the International Rostrum for Composers in Paris, the DUT-festival in Copenhagen, Nordic Music Days and the ULTIMA Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, per

Herman Severin Løvenskiold

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Baron Herman Severin Løvenskiold (30 July 1815 – 5 December 1870) was a Norwegian-born Danish composer, most noted for his score for August Bournonville’s 1836 version of the ballet La Sylphide for the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen. Early life and education Herman Severin Løvenskiold was born at Ulefoss in the municipality Nome, Norway. He was the son of Eggert Christopher Løvenskiold (1788–1861), director of the Ulefos Iron Works. In 1829, his family moved to Denmark. He was trained in music by composer Peter Casper Krossing. He also went abroad where he studied in Vienna, Leipzig and St. Petersburg. Career Following his return to Denmark, he composed music for a number of dramatic works at the Royal Danish Theatre. From 1851, he was the organist at Christiansborg Castle Church (Christiansborg Slotskirke) on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen. This church, which dated from 1738 to 1742, was frequently attended by members of the Danish royal family. Personal life He married to Anne Elisabeth Fabritius, kaldt Rine (1820-1864), daughter of goldsmith Jørgen Ludvig Fabritius (1786-1824) and Sophie Dorothea Elisabeth Jensen (1785-1864). The couple had no children. Notable works *La Sylphide,

Herman Vogt

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Herman Vogt (born 9 March 1976 in Drammen) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Vogt studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music under the tutorship of Lasse Thoresen, Olav Anton Thommessen, Henrik Hellstenius and Bjørn Kruse. He has also studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Martijn Padding and Louis Andriessen. In 2018 he took a Master’s degree in composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo under the tuition of Asbjørn Schaathun. From 1995 to 1997, Vogt studied violin at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Vogt has also completed individual mentoring sessions and masterclasses with composers such as Salvatore Sciarrino, Walter Zimmermann, Helmut Lachenmann, Brian Ferneyhough, Kaija Saariaho, Manos Tsangaris, Manfred Stahnke, Frédéric Durieux, Klas Thorstensson and Diana Burrell. Vogt’s works has seen performances by such ensembles, orchestras and performers as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Sinfonietta, BIT20 Ensemble, Poing, Geir Inge Lotsberg, Ian Pace, Kristian Lindberg, Rolf Borch, Audun Sandvik, Sveinung Bjelland and Anders Eidsten Dahl, as well as conductors Vasily Petrenk

Hjalmar Borgstrøm

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Hjalmar Borgstrøm (; 23 March 1864 – 5 July 1925) was a Norwegian composer and music critic who played a prominent role in the musical life of his country in the first quarter of the 20th century. Biography Borgstrøm was born Hjalmar Jensen on 23 March 1864 in Christiania (now Oslo). His father, Carl Christian Jensen, was a civil servant and the family were keen amateur musicians. Borgstrøm showed an early aptitude for music and by the age of fifteen was a talented violinist. After studying composition and music theory in Oslo with Johan Svendsen and Ludvig Mathias Lindeman, he went to the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany for two years. On his return to Norway in 1889, he worked as a music critic for several newspapers and successfully premiered his cantata, Hvæm er du med de tusene navne (Who are you with a thousand names). However, in 1890, he left Norway and was to live for the next thirteen years in Leipzig and Berlin, where he became a friend of the Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni whose musical philosophy he shared. Borgstrøm returned to Norway in 1903, the year in which his symphonic poem for piano and orchestra, Hamlet, premiered to great acclaim in Oslo. The so

Iver Holter

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Iver Paul Fredrik Holter (13 December 1850 – 27 January 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He was conductor and music director of the Oslo Philharmonic for a quarter century. Biography Iver Paul Fredrik Holter was born in Gausdal, Oppland, Norway. His parents were Caspar Georg Holter (1812–1880), a minister, and Caroline Theodora Børresen (1818–1857). He spent his adolescence at Gjerpen in Skien, where he received violin lessons from the German-born organist Friederich Wilhelm Rojahn (1820-1886). Holter had originally studied medicine but by 1876, he changed career paths to become a musician. He first studied music with Johan Svendsen and afterward in Leipzig (1876–79). He continued his music studies in Berlin (1879–1881). In the autumn of 1882, he followed Edvard Grieg as conductor for the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. In autumn 1886, he became music director and conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, a position he held for 25 years. Holter suggested the founding of a city orchestra which could play at municipal festivities, concerts and in the theatre, and as a result of this, the orchestra gained municipal support from 1889. Holter became a central figure in the city’s musical life.

Iver Kleive

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Iver Kleive (born 25 May 1949 in Skien, Norway) is a Norwegian composer and organist. He is known for his composing style which is a fusion of traditional church music with other musical idioms such as blues, jazz, and Norwegian folk music. He has appeared in nearly 200 recordings as a studio musician, composer and arranger. Biography Kleive was born in Skien to a musical family. His father, Kristoffer Kleive, was also an organist and his brother, Audun Kleive, is a noted jazz percussionist. He studied church music and organ at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and then served as the organist at the Frogner Church from 1976 to 1981 and the Røyken Church from 1982 to 1985. Since 1987 he has been the musical director of the Helgerud Church in Bærum. He is also director of the Oslo Bach Choir which he founded in 1988. The recording of his Blå koral (Blue Chorale) won a Spellemannprisen in 1991. Principal discography Kleive records primarily on the Kirkelig Kulturverksted label (KKV). His principal recordings include: Solo albums *1988: Max Reger – Inferno, Symphonic Fantasia and Fugue for organ, Op. 57 (KKV) *1993: Max Reger – Alle Menschen müssen sterben, Chorale fantasia, Op. 5

Jacobine Gjertz

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Jacobine Sofie Gjertz (13 July 1819 – 1862) was a Norwegian pianist, composer and writer and one of the earliest women’s activists in Norway. Early life Jacobine Gjertz was the daughter of Peter Gjertz, a town clerk in Christiania and Magdalene Elisabeth Hoff. She was the sister of lawyer and civil servant Hjalmar Balduin Hoff (1823–1902). Life and career Gjerz demonstrated an early talent for playing piano. She received her music education in Copenhagen, where she also studied music theory and composition with the composer Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse and Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann. In a certificate dated 13 April 1839, Hartmann emphasised Gjertz’s strong interest in music theory, which he thought was unusual for a young lady. In spring 1840, Gjertz performed concerts in Stockholm and Copenhagen, which were successfully received. Her program included Carl Maria von Weber’s Konzertstück and Sigismond Thalberg’s Huguenot Fantasia. In an advance review of her concert, Henrik Wergeland stated that she had already surpassed her teachers. Gjertz continued her studies with Danish pianist Bernhard Courländer. In 1851, the couple returned to Gjertz’s hometown of Christiania. Whilst th

Jan Erik Mikalsen

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Jan Erik Mikalsen (born 6 May 1979 in Kristiansund, Norway) is a Norwegian composer of contemporary music, living in Oslo. Biography Mikalsen studied at the Grieg Academy in Bergen and the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and is a member of the Norwegian Society of Composers. He has composed a number of works performed and commissioned by orchestras like Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Kringkastingsorkesteret, Oslo Sinfonietta, Bodø Sinfonietta, Thomas Bloch, Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra, Quartet Artis Wien, Stavanger Samtidsensemble, Orchestre de Flutes Francais, Manger Musikklag, Ingrid Torvund, Tori Wrånes and Bård Ask. He has participated in festivals such as Présences Festival, Pablo Casals Festival, Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Casa Da Musica, Performa 13, Young Nordic Music and Nordic Music Days. Mikalsen also won the award from the Kavlifondet, and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra’s Nordic / Baltic Composers Workshop 2004–2005 with the work Ghouls & Moons premiered by the same orchestra under the main series, on October 20, 2005. His

Jan Martin Smørdal

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Jan Martin Smørdal (born 14 October 1978 in Horten) is a Norwegian composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. Smørdal holds a master’s degree in Jazz Performance, and composition from the Norwegian Academy of Music and has studied with Henrik Hellstenius and Lasse Thoresen. As a guitarist, Smørdal has contributed to a number of releases, both in band as well as solo settings, and has been a member of the live bands of Hanne Hukkelberg, Navyelectre and Rockettothesky (Jenny Hval). As a producer, Smørdal has worked with such performers and composers as Torgeir Vassvik, Rockettothesky, Nils Henrik Asheim and Siri Nilsen. Smørdal has contributed to a number of releases that have been bestowed with a Spellemannprisen Award. As a co-founder of Ensemble neoN, Smørdal has collaborated with performers and composers such as Oren Ambarchi, Marina Rosenfeld and Susanna Wallumrød. Smørdal has composed music for a variety of settings, ranging from solo to orchestra, installations and choir. His works have seen performances at the MATA Festival, the ISCM Festival in Vienna, the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival and Nordic Music Days. Production Selected works *Q.S. 1 (2003) *Ichi - clarine

Johan Halvorsen

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Johan Halvorsen (15 March 1864 – 4 December 1935) was a Norwegian composer, conductor, and violinist. Life Born in Drammen, he was an accomplished violinist from a very early age and became a prominent figure in Norwegian musical life. He received his musical education in (now Oslo) and Stockholm, and was a concertmaster in Bergen before joining the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He was a concertmaster in Aberdeen, then a professor of music in Helsinki, and finally became a student once again in Saint Petersburg, Leipzig (with Adolph Brodsky), Berlin, (with Adolf Becker), and Liège (with César Thomson). Returning to Norway in 1893, he worked as conductor of the theatre orchestra at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen and of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. He became concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic in 1885, and principal conductor in 1893. In 1899 he was appointed conductor of the orchestra at the newly opened National Theatre in Kristiania, a position he held for 30 years until his retirement in 1929. In early 2016, librarians at the University of Toronto announced that they had located the manuscript score of his violin concerto, performed only three times in 1909 and consider

Johan Kvandal

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David Johan Kvandal (né Johansen; 8 September 1919 – 16 February 1999) was a Norwegian composer. Career He was born in Kristiania to David Monrad Johansen and Amunda Holmsen, with the family later moving to Bærum where Kvandal died. He took his studies in conducting and organ at Oslo Conservatory, and studied composition from Marx at the Hochschule für Musik, Vienna, and Boulanger in Paris. He served as a music critic for the Oslo newspapers Morgenposten and Aftenposten, and as organist of the Vålenengen Church in Oslo. Many of his works utilize folk elements. Among his compositions are from 1951, for a television drama series from 1968, from 1974, and from 1984. His opera , with libretto based on Hamsun’s novel, was staged at Den Norske Opera in 1994. He was married twice, first to Maria Teresia Unterrainer (from 1951), and from 1976 to Lilleba Lund. References

Johan Svendsen

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Johan Severin Svendsen (30 September 184014 June 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, he lived most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark. Svendsen’s output includes two symphonies, a violin concerto, a cello concerto, and the Romance for violin, as well as a number of Norwegian Rhapsodies for orchestra. At one time Svendsen was an intimate friend of the German composer Richard Wagner and Icelandic composer Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson. Life Svendsen’s father was a music teacher and military bandmaster, who taught him both the violin and clarinet. He began playing in orchestras at age nine when he learned violin, and began composing by age eleven. At fifteen he enlisted in the military band at Akershus Fortress, playing clarinet, flute, trombone, and percussion among other instruments. By the time he finished school, he was working as an orchestral musician, and occasionally made short concert tours as a violinist. In Lübeck, on one of his tours, he came to the attention of a wealthy merchant who made it possible for him to study from 1863 to 1867 at the Leipzig Conservatory. He began his studies with Ferdinand David, but proble

Johannes Haarklou

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Johannes Haarklou (May 13, 1847 – November 26, 1925) was a Norwegian composer, organist, conductor, and music critic. Biography Haarklou was born in the village of Haukedalen in Førde Municipality in Nordre Bergenhus, Norway. He was the son of Ole Nilsson Dvergsdalen (1815-1872) and Orlaug Andersdatter Haarklou (1808-1870). He went to Balestrand lærerskole, then attended the Stord lærerskole where he graduated in 1868. He studied organ and harmony in Drammen, then in 1872 studied with Ludvig Mathias Lindeman in Christiania (now Oslo). Composer Fredrikke Waaler studied with Lindeman and also with Haarklou. From 1873 to 1875 he studied with Carl Reinecke at the Leipzig Conservatory and then at the Berlin Music Academy. In 1876 Haarklou was an organist at Tangen Church at Drammen. In 1877, he conducted his first orchestral work in Bergen followed later by a concert at the Gamle Logen in Christiania. In 1880, he became an organist and conductor in Christiania, first at Sagene Church and between 1883 and 1920 in the Old Aker Church. In 1889, he conducted at Copenhagen, Berlin, and Leipzig. Between 1889 and 1896, he was also a lecturer in harmonics and composition at the Christiania Musi

Jon Mostad

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Jon Mostad (born 21 April 1942) is a composer from Fredrikstad, Norway. He received the Norwegian state three-year scholarship for artists from 1982 until 1984. Musical style In his early compositions Mostad moves from a linear-expressionist style to a more timbre-oriented line of thinking where both modernist music and romantic music inspire his work. From around 1975 the timbre/harmonic aspect of his music is more related to the harmonic series. During the 1980s and 1990s he combined this with other types of modal and free compositional techniques, sometimes using modal techniques as well as more overtone-oriented harmonic spectra within the same composition. At the same time he was experimenting with untraditional structuring of his material, both in works of one movement and in cyclical works. Many of Mostad’s instrumental works as well as vocal music, are inspired by Judæo-Christian texts which often influence the structuring of the music. For instance, in “And the light shines in darkness”, a massive dark-sounding layer with much rhythmical unrest is gradually introduced to a lighter-sounding chord with notes from the harmonic series. Mostad has written chamber music, solo pi

Julian Berntzen

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Julian Berntzen (born 2 February 1981) is a Norwegian vocalist, pianist, violinist and composer known for his Magnetic North Orchestra. He is the son of artist and guitarist Lasse Berntzen, and the grandson of actor Rolf Berntzen. Career Berntzen was born in Bergen, and began playing several instruments at an early age. At 17, several of his compositions for string quartet, was performed by members of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. He toured in 2001 with musicians from Steiner schools in South Africa and Norway, and was the driving force behind the release of an album with concert recordings from this project. Lately Berntzen has composed music for The Snow Queen, a play by Hans Christian Andersen, put up on Den Nationale Scene, Bergen, in October 2012. Album list ranking * 2003 VG-lista: 4 weeks, No. 12 as best: Waffy Town * 2004 VG-lista: 1 week, No. 22 as best: Pictures (In The House Where She Lives) * 2008 VG-lista: 2 weeks, No. 14 as best: Rocketship Love Honors *Spellemannprisen 2003 for Waffy Town (2003), as this year’s Newcomer Discography *Waffy Town (New Records, 2003) *Pictures (In The House Where She Lives) (Universal Music, 2004) *Rocket Ship Love (Vertigo/Universa

Kim André Arnesen

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Kim André Arnesen (born 28 November 1980) is a Norwegian composer. He grew up in Trondheim, Norway and was educated at the Music Conservatory of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He is mostly known for his choral compositions, both a cappella, accompanied by piano or organ, or large-scale works for chorus and orchestra. His first CD album “Magnificat” was nominated for Grammy Awards 2016 in the category Best Surround Sound Album. Biography Kim André Arnesen was educated at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim, Norway. He had composition lessons with composers like Henning Sommerro, Terje Bjørklund and Odd Johan Overøye. As a composer he had his first performance in 1999 with Nidaros Cathedral Boys’ Choir. Since then he has written music that has been performed by several choirs. Arnesen is an elected member of the Norwegian Society of Composers. In 2010, his first large-scale work was performed in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. This was a Magnificat commissioned by the Nidaros Cathedral’s Girls Choir. This performance received overwhelming feedback, leading directly to several new commissions. The work was released on 2L in 2014 and the album was nominated for GRA

Kjell Habbestad

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Kjell Habbestad (born 13 April 1955 in Bømlo Municipality) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Career Habbestad studied church music at the Norwegian Academy of Music from 1976 to 1979 and graduated with a diploma from the composition course at the same institution in 1981, having studied with Olav Anton Thommessen, Finn Mortensen and Lasse Thoresen. Habbestad was active as an organist from 1974 to 1987 and, from 2013, is a professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Habbestad’s list of works comprises more than 60 works, including orchestra and chamber works, church music, cantatas, works for organ and piano as well as a number of choir works. His work Mostraspelet – a historic play depicting the Christianization of Norway – has seen annual performances in Bømlo since 1983. As a composer, Habbestad debuted with a first prize for his choir work Magnificat in TONO’s 1978 composition competition. Habbestad’s most central works to date includes the oratory Ei natt på jorda and the operas Hans Egedes natt as well as The Maid of Norway, both featuring librettos by Paal-Helge Haugen. Other key works include the string quartet Quattro Stazioni, the major piano work Hammerklavie’r, Munc

Kjell Mørk Karlsen

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Kjell Mørk Karlsen (born 31 March 1947) is a Norwegian composer and organist. Career Mørk Karlsen was born in Oslo, and at first studied with his father, the composer and organ player Rolf Karlsen. Mørk Karlsen later enrolled at the Oslo Music Conservatory and graduated in 1968. Throughout his career, Mørk Karlsen has focused on medieval, renaissance and baroque music which led him to founding the Oslo Pro Music Antiqua ensemble and leading it until 1974. He has also maintained close ties to the Musica Sacra movement, which has as its aim to renew interest in liturgy and early church music. Mørk Karlsen was also active as an organist throughout his professional career, retiring from the post as Asker Church organist in 2011. Karlsen´s early works are characterised by an ecclesiastical liturgical-musical traditional rooting, while later works display an evolving tonal spectrum and a gradual introduction of dissonance, bringing the composer closer to contemporary styles while retaining traditional musical elements. Following a pivotal year of studies in 1983-84 with Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen, Mørk Karlsen emerges as a symphonic composer, having penned a number of symphonies an

Kjetil Bjerkestrand

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Kjetil Bjerkestrand (born 18 May 1955) is a Norwegian keyboardist, composer, arranger and record producer known as music arranger for artists like Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Keith Emerson, Ian Hunter, Jon Lord, Ute Lemper and a-ha. As a musician, he has participated in recordings with a-ha, Ray Charles, Ute Lemper, Ian Hunter, Dance with a Stranger, DumDum Boys, Jonas Fjeld Band, Marius Müller, TNT, Arve Tellefsen, Bobbysocks, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Carola Häggkvist and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Career As the son and grandson of organists, playing the organ came naturally to Bjerkestrand and he started early to compose music as well. He composed music for several films and television series, many of them in collaboration with Magne Furuholmen under the name Timbersound. He received Gammleng-prisen in 1988 in the class facility, and for the music to the TV series Hotel Oslo he received Edvard Prize 1998 in the class Other form of art, together with Magne Furuholmen. He has produced albums for Anne Grete Preus, a-ha, Lynni Treekrem and Herborg Kråkevik. Along with the saxophonist Tore Brunborg, he has released two albums with Christmas music and hymns. He arranged the music for concerts by

Klaus Egge

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Klaus Egge (July 19, 1906 – March 7, 1979) was a Norwegian composer and music critic. Background Egge was born in Gransherad, Telemark, Norway. He was the son of Rasmus Klausen Egge (1874-1962) and Rakel Abrahamsdatter Iversen (1877-1986). He graduated from the teacher school at Stord in 1927 and then started at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He trained under Arild Sandvold on the organ and with Gustav Lange (1861-1939) in harmony. He graduated in 1929 and worked as a primary school teacher in the following years in Porsgrunn (1930–34). He continued his musical education with private lessons from Nils Larsen and composition lessons with Fartein Valen. On April 4, 1934, he debuted as a composer at the University of Oslo. In 1937–38, he studied with Walther Gmeindel (1890-1958) in Berlin. He taught at the Frogner, Berle and Vestheim Gymnasium until 1945. Career Egge’s musical development can be separated into three periods. In the first period, folk music was the central source of inspiration. The second period is the period where Egge develops a more universal tonal language. The second period peaks with his development into a metamorphic technique, one where a musical moti

Knut Nystedt

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Knut Nystedt (3 September 1915 – 8 December 2014) was a Norwegian orchestral and choral composer. Early life Nystedt was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, and grew up in a Christian home where hymns and classical music were an important part of everyday life. His major compositions for choir and vocal soloists are mainly based on texts from the Bible or sacred themes. Old church music, especially Palestrina and Gregorian chants, have had a major influence on his compositions. Career Nystedt studied with Aaron Copland among others. He was the organist in the Torshov Church in Oslo from 1946 to 1982 and taught choir conducting at the University of Oslo from 1964 to 1985. Nystedt founded and conducted the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir from 1950 to 1990. He also founded and conducted the Schola Cantorum from 1964 to 1985. The choir Ensemble 96 published “Immortal Nystedt” in 2005. This CD was nominated in two categories in the 2007 Grammy Awards and was the first Norwegian CD so nominated. It was also the first CD with a Norwegian composer nominated for a Grammy. On the occasion of his 90th birthday in 2005, there were several concerts around the world held in his honour. Key Nystedt

Krister Dreyer

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Krister Dreyer (born 11 September 1974 in Sandefjord, Norway), commonly known as Morfeus, is a Norwegian musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Morfeus is noted for his work in several bands in Norway, including Mayhem, Limbonic Art, Dimension F3H and Viper Solfa. Discography With Limbonic Art * Promo Rehearsal ‘95 (Demo) (1995) * Promo 1996 (Demo) (1996) * Moon in the Scorpio (1996) *In Abhorrence Dementia (1997) * Epitome of Illusions (1998) *Ad Noctum - Dynasty of Death (1999) * The Ultimate Death Worship (2002) *Legacy of Evil (2007) With Dimension F3H (as Mr. Morfeus): * The 3rd Generation Armageddon (Demo) (2000) * A Presentation of Armageddon (EP) (2002) * Reaping the World Winds (2003) * Does the Pain Excite You? (2007) With Viper Solfa (as Morfeus): *Carving an Icon (2015) As a guest or session musician * Ad Inferna. In Opus 7: Elevation (2014), song “InVisible” * Ad Inferna. In L’Empire des Sens (2001), song “The Vampyrik Supremacy” * Aeon Winds. In And Night Shall Have Dominion (EP) (2014) * Dark Fortress. In Profane Genocidal Creations (2003) * Finnugor: In Darkness Needs Us (2004) * Immemoreal. In Towards 1347 (Demo) (1999) * Immemoreal: In Temple of R

Kristian Hauger

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Kristian Hauger (24 October 1905 – 18 October 1977) was a Norwegian pianist, orchestra leader and composer of popular music from the late 1920s to mid 1950s. Kristian Asbjørn Hauger was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. His father, Hans August Hauger (1867–1928) was a businessman who operated the Norwegian Christmas Card Company (Norsk Julekortudsalg). He studied musical theory with composer Gustav Fredrik Lange (1861–1939) during 1921–22. From 1921 to 1925, he was a student of piano composer Nils Larsen (1888–1937). He formed the Kristian Hauger Jazz Orchestra in 1929 and became known to a wider audience with the Kristian Hauger Radio Dance Orchestra, which became a widely used studio orchestra in the 1930s. With his orchestra he also recorded a large number of his own compositions. He was musical director of the jazz stage at Bristol from 1928 to 1930, at Le Chat Noir from 1930 to 1936 and at Centralteatret on Akersgata in Oslo from 1936 to 1959. He composed about one thousand melodies throughout his career. His first composition was the prize-winning Charleston i Grukkedalen, which became a great success. Among his songs are Blåklokker (1929, lyrics Herbert Herding), En Osl

Kristin Mellem

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Kristin Mellem (born 21 March 1965) is a Norwegian musician (violin), composer and conductor known for her involvement in Northern Norway’s musical scene. She was educated at and Bergen Music Conservatory (1984–1990) and has worked as a violin teacher in Balsfjord, Bergen, Hadsel, and Tromsø. Furthermore, she has been named regional musician and conductor of the Vesterålen Symphony Orchestra, part of the (1987–1997), Tromsø Symphony Orchestra (1993–present), associated with Hålogaland Teater (, 2002) and Rikskonsertene (1997–2000). Mellem has contributed to the Eventyr festival in Tromsø since 1998, toured with Boknakaran (2001–2002), and contributed to releases with Moya på Tvoya. With the Tromsø Symphony Orchestra she composed the performance (Travels through time, 2002). In 2004, she composed (Meeting of voices) with Solveig Kringlebotn and Ingor Ánte Áilo Gaup (joik) for Nordlysfestivalen; together with Gaup, Jeđđehus was released the following year and nominated for the 2005 Edvardprisen. In cooperation with she composed and performed fiddle music with the Tromsø Symphony Orchestra for the production – (2004). The other musicians involved were Finn Sletten (percussion) and (vi

Kristoffer Tømmerbakke

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Kristoffer Chaka Bwanausi Tømmerbakke (born 23 June 1983). better known by his stage name Kriss, is a Norwegian producer, songwriter and rapper. He got his break as half of the rap duo Erik & Kriss in 2007, one of the most successful Norwegian artists over the past decade. Tømmerbakke has since written and produced eight Top10 singles in Norway as part of the group. Kriss took his first steps internationally with a Swedish Spotify #1 with the artist Kamferdrops in 2017, and saw his international stock rise with his work on Robin Schulz feat Alida “In Your Eyes” that hit #1 on Billboard Dance. The track was also at the Global 100 on Spotify (peaking at #86th), and reaching Top10 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Tømmerbakke has also worked with K-pop group Twice, on their EP Taste of Love (EP), which reached #6 on the Billboard Top 200, and #2 in the Korean Album Charts. References

Lars Petter Hagen

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Lars Petter Hagen (born 2 August 1975) is a Norwegian contemporary composer, former director of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival and currently an adviser for the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Biography Hagen studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and has written instrumental works, electro-acoustic pieces as well as music for film and theatre. 2003 saw Hagen bestowed with the Arne Nordheim’s Composer Prize and in 2004 he received the Edvard Prize in the contemporary music category. He received a 2013 Spellemannprisen Award in the Composer category for a release with the Oslo Philharmonic, Rolf Gupta and Gjermund Larsen featuring his works. Hagen has also served as artistic director for Ny Musikk (the Norwegian section of the ISCM) and festivals Happy Days, Nordic Music Days and the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival. Hagen was appointed as permanent artistic director for the Ultima Festival in 2012, after having held the position on a temporary basis in 2009 and 2010. 2010 saw Hagen being nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his music composed for NYC-based theatre production company Wakka Wakka Productions’ show Baby Universe. 2012 saw Hagen releasing the album

Leif Halvorsen

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Leif Fritjof Halvorsen (July 26, 1887 – December 28, 1959) was a Norwegian violinist, conductor, and composer. Halvorsen was born in Kristiania Halvorsen was the concert master for the National Theater Orchestra from 1915 to 1917, and the conductor at Oslo’s Opera Comique from 1918 to 1921, where he conducted a number of opera performances. He became the director of the Holter Choir () in 1930. Leif Halvorsen was a highly sought-after violin teacher, and he composed violin pieces, a string quartet, two cantatas, piano pieces, and music for poems by Heinrich Heine and Vilhelm Krag. In 1921 he composed music for the silent film Growth of the Soil (Markens Grøde), directed by the Danish film director Gunnar Sommerfeldt. This was the first Norwegian film to receive original music. The premiere took place at the National Theater on December 26, 1921, where Hamsun himself was present. In 2009, the film with its music by Leif Halvorsen was shown at the Hamsun jubilee in Hamarøy Municipality. A DVD with the movie has been released, with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra playing Leif Halvorsen’s score. In 1915, Halvorsen married the singer Haldis Halvorsen, née Michelsen (1889–1936). The compos

Ludvig Irgens-Jensen

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Paul Ludvig Irgens-Jensen (13 April 1894 – 11 April 1969) was a Norwegian twentieth-century composer. Biography Irgens-Jensen studied piano with Nils Larsen while a philology student at the University of Oslo. He began composing in 1920 and the radical nature of his work attracted some interest. In 1928, Irgens-Jensen submitted his Passacaglia for Orchestra to the International Schubert Competition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Franz Schubert’s death. The competition was eventually won by Kurt Atterberg’s Symphony No. 6. Although Irgens-Jensen’s work only received second prize in the Scandinavian Composers Division, the work was performed all over the world and helped Irgens-Jensen gain international fame. In 1930, the composer achieved another great success with his choral symphonic work Heimferd, written to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the death of St. Olav II of Norway. This work won first prize in a composition competition and quickly became popular in Norway. Heimferd is now considered an important landmark in the history of Norwegian choral music. During the Second World War, Irgens-Jensen composed several songs and orchestral works to patriotic texts; due t

Ludvig Mathias Lindeman

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Ludvig Mathias Lindeman (28 November 1812 – 11 March 1887) was a Norwegian composer and organist. He is most noted for compiling Norwegian folk music in his work Ældre og nyere norske Fjeldmelodier. Background Ludvig Mathias Lindeman was born in Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. He was the seventh of ten children born to Ole Andreas Lindeman (1769–1857) and Anna Severine Hickmann (1782–1844). In 1833 he was sent to Oslo to take his final exams and then studied theology at the university. In 1839, Lindeman succeeded his elder brother, Jacob Andreas Lindeman (1805–1846), as cantor and organist of the Oslo Cathedral. Lindeman was in the position for 48 years until his death in 1887. Composer Fredrikke Waaler was one of his students. Career Lindeman was a contributor to Jørgen Moe’s song and folk-ballad collection, Samling af Sange, Folkeviser og Stev i norske Alumuedialekter (1840), putting together the melody supplement to the volume at Bishop Moe’s request. The following year, he published his own selection of Norwegian folk melodies, Norske Fjeldmelodier harmonisk bearbeidede for Pianoforte (1841). When in 1871, the major new organ in the Royal Albert Hall in London was inaugurated

Maj Sønstevold

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Maj Sønstevold (born Lundén; 9 September 1917 – 14 March 1996) was a Swedish composer who lived and worked in Norway. Biography Maj Sønstevold was born in Sollefteå, Sweden. She studied piano in Stockholm and with Billy Mayerl in London. She married Norwegian composer Gunnar Sønstevold and in 1945 moved to Norway, where she worked as a composer and music teacher. Later she and her family spent time in Vienna, where she studied with Hanns Jelinek and Karl Schiske and graduated in composition in 1966 from the Akademisches Hauptseminar. From 1971 to 1985 Sønstevold taught in the Music Department of Oslo University. In 1974 she and her husband founded The Maj and Gunnar Sønstevold Music Institute in Rakkestad. Søstevold held a number of positions on the Norwegian music scene and served as a board member of organisations Music Information Centre Norway, the Norwegian Society of Composers and the Norwegian Academy of Music. Output Maj Sønstevold composed jazz, light music and avant garde music for theatre, film, radio and television. She also composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir and solo instrument. Selected works Film music * Skøytekongen (1953) * Trost i taklampa (1955) * To

Maja S. K. Ratkje

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Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje (born 29 December 1973 in Trondheim, Norway) is a Norwegian vocalist and composer. She plays on vocals and electronics instruments. Career Ratkje studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo under the tutorship of Lasse Thoresen, Olav Anton Thommessen and Asbjørn Schaathun, and got her diploma in 2000. During the summer of 1999, Ratkje studied at IRCAM and she has also studied individually with composers such as Louis Andriessen, Sofia Gubaidulina, Ivar Frounberg, Klaus Huber, Joji Yuasa and Kaija Saariaho. She performs and releases music for concerts, recordings, films, installations, theatre, dance and other performances. Maja is a member of SPUNK, a Norwegian improv group, and Agrare, a performance trio consisting of the noise duo Fe-mail and the Swedish dancer Lotta Melin. She has collaborated with, among others, Jaap Blonk, Lasse Marhaug, Joëlle Léandre, Per Inge Bjørlo, Stian Westerhus, Kathy Hinde, Odd Johan Fritzøe, POING, HC Gilje, Stephen O’Malley, Ikue Mori, and Zeena Parkins. As a vocal soloist, Ratkje has performed with ensembles Engegårdkvartetten, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, BBC Scottish

Marcus Paus

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Marcus Nicolay Paus (; born 14 October 1979) is a Norwegian composer and one of the most performed contemporary Scandinavian composers. in Norway and abroad. His work includes chamber music, choral works, solo works, concerts, orchestral works, operas, symphonies and church music, as well as works for theatre, film and television. Paus is regarded as “one of the most celebrated classical composers of Norway” and “the leading Norwegian composer of his generation.” Paus has said he considers himself to be a “musical dramatist” or storyteller. He grew up in Oslo’s Røa borough. His grandfather, General Ole (Otto Cicin von) Paus, was head of the army group in the military intelligence service of the exile Norwegian High Command in London during the Second World War, one of the founders of the Norwegian Intelligence Service and later the highest-ranking Norwegian in NATO’s Command Structure in the 1970s; he was born and raised in Vienna to the Norwegian Consul-General Thorleif (von) Paus and a Viennese mother, Gabriele (Ella) Stein, whose family had converted from Judaism to Catholicism. Ella’s father, the Viennese lawyer August Stein (1852–1890), left the Jewish Community of Vienna in 1

Marius Ulfrstad

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Marius Moaritz Ulfrstad (11 September 1890 – 29 October 1968) was a composer, organist and music teacher. His compositions were well known at his time, but are largely forgotten today. Biography Ulfrstad was born in Ellingsøya, the son of teacher Mauritz Ulvestad (1858-1919) and Lisa Kvalstein (1861–97). After middle school exam and teacher education Ulfstad started at the Conservatory of Music in Kristiania and completed an organist examination there in 1911. In 1912 he settled in Ålesund as a singer and organist, but studied later composition in Germany, France, and Italy. In 1914 he became organist in Kragerø, and in 1917 he moved to Kristiania, where he worked as a music analyst, conductor, and music teacher. Ulfrstad debuted as a composer in 1919, the same year as he was first married to the singer Ragnhild Albertha Hovde (1895-1978), the marriage was canceled in 1940. He started at the Music Academy in Kristiania in 1922, he was a board member of the Composer Association and a time chairman of the Young Tone Society. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics and the 1928 Summer Olympics. In 1943 Ulfstad was injured in a fire, which characterized hi

Martin Horntveth

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Martin Horntveth (born 20 September 1977) is a Norwegian musician (primarily drummer), composer and electronica artist. He was born in Tønsberg, and is the younger brother of tubaist Line Horntveth, but is best known as the drummer and key member of Jaga Jazzist and The National Bank together with his brother Lars Horntveth. Career Together with Ravi (Ivar Johansen) he started in 1994 the band Jaga Jazzist, where he and his brother Lars are key members. In summer 2003 he and his brother Lars, wrote a commissioned work for Vestfold Festspillene in Tønsberg. The work was performed by the musicians who later became the band The National Bank. He received the Edvard Prize 2005 in the class pop music for the tune Tolerate from the band’s debut album The National Bank, together with his brother Lars and the lyricist Martin Hagfors. As a solo artist he has released two EP’s with electronica music and toured the US and Europe. He also has a more pop/rock oriented solo project under the name Wolf Whistle where he plays all the instruments himself. Horntveth is also musician for the theater group Stella Polaris. In 2003 he also became involved in a noise-rock side-project called Killl with E

Martin Romberg

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Martin Romberg (born 3 January 1978) is a Norwegian neo-romantic contemporary composer. He is one of the most active orchestral composers of his generation in Scandinavia. He is mostly known for his fantasy literature and inspired orchestral and choral works, notably treating themes and texts by J.R.R Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, as well as pre-Christian, archaic and Celtic-Christian textual material. Biography Being born to a working-class family in Oslo, Romberg early moved out of Norway to study classical music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria, from 1997 to 2005. From the early 2000s onwards, Romberg’s career as a composer, writer and music publisher took him on a dynamic path, both nationally and internationally. Breaking the bond with modernist tradition and his composition teacher Michael Jarrell, he embraced neo-romanticism from 2006. Notably, his compositions have been published by Éditions Billaudot in Paris and performed by numerous esteemed orchestras around the world. Among these are The Astana Symphony Orchestra, The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, The Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, Orchestre national Montpellier Langu

Mon Schjelderup

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Mon Schjelderup (16 June 187021 November 1934) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Biography Maria Gustava Schjelderup was born in Fredrikshald (now Halden), Østfold, of parents Captain Christian Bernhard Koren Schjelderup (1819–1889) and Anne Sofie Preus Berg (1831–1898). She was also the cousin of composer Gerhard Schjelderup (1859–1933). Schjelderup grew up in a musical home, and wrote her first composition at age 14. She studied piano with Agathe Backer Grøndahl. Later she continued her studies in piano and theory at the Royal Music Institute of Berlin, and in composition at the Conservatory in Paris with Jules Massenet. In 1894 she made her public debut as pianist and composer in Christiania. She continued her study with Massenet and began working as a composer and a piano teacher at the Music Conservatory in Christiania. Mon Schjelderup never married and retired at the age of 34 due to disabling mental illness. She died in 1934 in Asker, Akershus. Works Schjelderup composed about forty songs, piano pieces, violin pieces, a sonata for violin and piano and orchestral works. Selected compositions include: For Orchestra: *Prelude to 5 Act II of The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen *Fe

Morten Gaathaug

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Morten Gaathaug (born 20 April 1955) is a Norwegian contemporary composer of orchestral works, solo pieces, chamber music, and concertos. His work is influenced by the classics, Norwegian folk music, and contemporary composers. Career Gaathaug studied at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo where he followed composition classes with Johan Kvandal and piano classes with Kari Edgren Gierløff. He was a Slovakian State Stipend recipient and studied at the Bratislava Music Academy in 1981-82 with teachers Eva Fischerová (piano) and Vladimír Bokes (composition). Currently Gaathaug teaches piano at the Kontra culture school in Ski and he has also been active as a music critic in Drammens Tidende and Aftenposten. Gaathaug produced more than 100 works in a variety of genres, including orchestral works, solo pieces, chamber music as well as songs and concertos for trumpet and oboe, a De profundis (García Lorca) for mezzo-soprano and orchestra plus a concertino for accordion and orchestra. In his compositions 24 fugleportretter, De tapte fuglers verden and Ornis musicalis, the composer utilizes bird song in his music. As well as international music, Gaathaug has devoted much time to foc

Morten Veland

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Morten Veland (born 4 December 1977) is a Norwegian musician. He is one of the founding members of the gothic metal band Tristania and the founding member of Sirenia and Mortemia. Background At the age of 14, Veland began saving to buy his first electric guitar. He would lock himself up and practice every day and night. He and bandmate Kenneth Olsson, who would later form Tristania, formed Uzi Suicide. They were described as a fusion of rock and metal. However, he grew more interested in the UK gothic scene. It took his songwriting to a darker, gloomier place. Fragments of Uzi Suicide turned into Tristania. as well as responsible for the growling vocals. He left Tristania after the first two full-length albums due to social and musical differences. 2001–present: Sirenia After Tristania, in 2001, Veland formed his own band Sirenia, composing the same genre of music, in which he contributes nearly all of the instruments as well as the growling vocals. The rest of the band (except female singer and choir members) are mostly used on live performances only. Mortemia While taking Sirenia on a more melodic direction, Veland began writing other types of music. Mortemia is a studio project

Nils Henrik Asheim

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Nils Henrik Asheim (born 20 January 1960 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian composer and organist, living in Stavanger. Asheim is educated at Norges Musikkhøgskole and the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. His production comprises chamber music, orchestral works, sacred music, musical theater and digital music, and his Lillehammer −94 fanfare is released on record by “Gardemusikken”. Asheim is awarded Spellemannprisen twice, in 2005 in the class Contemporary music, for 19 March 2004, Oslo Cathedral and 2010 in the class Contemporary composer of the year, for Mazurka – remaking Chopin. He was also nominated in 2003 in Open class for Kom regn together with Anne-Lise Berntsen. He was awarded Edvard-prisen for “Chase” in 2002 in the class Contemporary music and in 2011 he was awarded Lindemanprisen. Honors *Spellemannprisen 2005 in the class Contemporary music, for 19 March 2004, Oslo Cathedral *Arne Nordheim’s Composer Award 2007 *Spellemannprisen 2010 in the class Contemporary composer of the year, for Mazurka – remaking Chopin *Edvard Prize in the class Contemporary music, for “Chase” *Lindemanprisen 2011 Discography ;As composer * 1988. Flere artister. Kruse, Olav Berg, Asheim, Sam

Ola Gjeilo

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Ola Gjeilo ( , ; born May 5, 1978) is a Norwegian composer and pianist in the United States. He writes choral music, and has written for piano and wind symphony, publishing through Walton Music, Edition Peters, and Boosey and Hawkes. Biography Ola Gjeilo was born to Inge and Anne-May Gjeilo, and grew up in Skui, Norway. He began playing piano and composing when he was five years old and learned to read music when he was seven years old. Gjeilo studied classical composition with Wolfgang Plagge. He continued his education at Juilliard (2004–06) where he received his master’s degree in 2006, also in composition. From 2009 to 2010, Gjeilo was composer-in-residence for Phoenix Chorale. and Albany Pro Musica. Major compositions ;Sunrise Mass: Orchestrated for strings and choir. “The Ground” for SATB, piano and optional string quartet is based on the last movement of this mass. ;Dreamweaver: Written for choir, piano, and string orchestra. The text is set from a popular medieval ballad from Norway, Draumkvedet, translated into English by Charles Anthony Silvestri, one of his regular collaborators. ;The River: For choir, piano and string quartet. Composed for the 2016 Brock Commission, awa

Ola Mosafinn

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Ola Mosafinn (14 July 1828 – 28 December 1912) was a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player and composer. Mosafinn is regarded among the more important fiddlers in Norway in the late 19th century. Ola Sjursson was born in Voss in Hordaland County, Norway. He was the youngest of five children born to Sjurd Brynjulvsson Liland (1792–1866) and Ingebjørg Klausdotter Mosafinn (1790–1852). He was raised on the Mosafinn farm from which he took has last name. After graduation in 1843 he was first employed as a school teacher, but was also on demand at weddings and parties. He later went to Hardanger, where he soon came to thrive. In the summer of 1872, crown prince and future King Oscar II of Sweden, made a trip to the west coast of Norway and Ola Mosafinn was invited to perform. Later that summer, Mosafinn met famed Norwegian violinist and composer Ole Bull, who gave the fiddler praise. During the summer of 1879, Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg visited Voss. Grieg sent for Mosafinn who performed at his birthday celebration. He became well known in Norway and made two tours in the United States. In 1890 and 1891, Mosafinn traveled to the United States after being invited several times. He playe

Olav Anton Thommessen

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Olav Anton Thommessen (born 16 May 1946) is a Norwegian contemporary composer who has been one of the foremost modernist composers in Norway since the 1970s. His main compositions include Et glassperlespill and Gjennom Prisme. He was a professor of composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music until retiring in 2014, and has also been an influential figure in music education and music organisations in Norway. Thommessen has played a significant role in aesthetic discourse in Norway and is known for his modernist and atonal stance. In later life he has become known for engaging in a critical public dialogue with his former student Marcus Paus about the future of art music, that has resulted in the opera monologue The Teacher Who Was Not To Be with a libretto by Thommessen; a 2015 debate between the two was described as “the biggest public debate about art music” in Norway since the 1970s. Background He is a son of the diplomat Knut Thommessen (né Knut Saenger), a grandson of the German gynecologist Hans Saenger and a great-grandson of the gynecologist Max Saenger (also spelled Sänger). He trained in the United States, earning degrees from Westminster Choir College and Indiana Univer

Olav Iversen

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Olav Iversen (born 23 September 1977 in Sandøy Municipality, Møre og Romsdal) is a Norwegian heavy metal singer-songwriter and musician. He is better known as a founding member and the guitarist, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Sahg, as well as its only constant member. Musical career Iversen’s remarkable career began with Trucks, a British/Norwegian pop punk band, whose most popular release was the 2002 novelty single, “It’s Just Porn Mum”. The single was a Top 5 hit in Norway, and peaked at No. 35 in the UK Singles Chart. He’s best known for being the only constant member and co-founder of the hard rock band Sahg in 2004, along with Tom Cato Visnes (King ov Hell), Einar Selvik (Kvitrafn) and Thomas Tofthagen. Iversen has also been an active member in several bands in his country, as Audrey Horne and Manngard. Apart from his musical projects, he has also worked as an art director and graphic designer in Bergen since 2000. Discography With Starling * Mellowcold (EP, 2001) With Trucks * Juice (2003) With Manngard * Circling Buzzards (2006) * European Cowards (2007) With Sahg * Sahg I (2006) * Sahg II (2008) * Sahg III (2010) * Delusions Of Grandeur (2013) * Me

Olav Kielland

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Olav Løchen Kielland (16 August 1901 – 5 August 1985) was a Norwegian composer and conductor. Early life and education Olav Løchen Kielland was born in Trondheim, the son of Gabriel Kielland (1871–1960) and Margit Løchen (1875–1951). He took his final exams at the Trondheim Cathedral School in 1919. He studied to become an architect like his father at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1919 until 1921. He then moved to Leipzig where he studied conducting, composition, piano and bassoon at the Music Conservatory. In 1929 he attended Felix Weingartner’s masterclass for conductors in Basel, Switzerland. Career Kielland had his debut as a conductor and pianist in Trondheim in 1923. He was repetiteur with the Casino Theatre in Oslo, and conductor with the Stora Teatern in Gothenburg. In 1931, he became the conductor for the Filharmonisk Selskap, now the Oslo Philharmonic), and served as artistic director from 1933 until 1945. In 1939, Kielland was offered the position as chief conductor by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, but was hindered by the outbreak of World War II and could not travel and accept the position. During the war, Kielland was for a short period a member of

Ole Bull

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Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing. Background Bull was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull (1787–1838) and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden (1789–1875). His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect. He was also the uncle of Edvard Hagerup Bull, Norwegian judge and politician. His father wished for him to become a minister, but he desired a musical career. At the age of four or five, he could play all of the songs he had heard his mother play on the violin. At age nine, he played first violin in the orchestra of Bergen’s theatre and was a soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. At eighteen, he was sent to the University of Christiania, but failed his examinations. He joined the Musical Lyceum, a musical society, and after its director Waldemar Thrane was taken ill, Bull became the director of Musical Lyceum and the Theater Orchestra in 1828. during which visit he also travelled to some of the more remote parts of Britain. Catherine Darwin

Ole Hjellemo

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Ole Hjellemo (March 22, 1873 – September 18, 1938) was a Norwegian musician and composer. Hjellemo was born in Dovre Municipality in Christians amt (county), Norway. He studied under Gudbrand Bøhn and Iver Holter. From 1919 to 1932 he taught violin, harmony, and composition at the Oslo Conservatory of Music, and at the same time was a military musician with the rank of lieutenant in the military band. As a composer, he wrote five symphonies, several other symphonic works and rhapsodies, an award-winning quartet, a violin concerto, and many works for choir. His composition Slått was played by the Norwegian Royal Guards band and drill company in 2002. He also released some roundels from the Gudbrandsdalen valley that he recorded himself. Hjellemo died in Oslo. References

Ole Windingstad

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Ole Windingstad (May 18, 1886 – June 3, 1959) was a Norwegian conductor, pianist and composer. He was the conductor of the Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra in Brooklyn, New York and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. His most notable symphonic composition was The Tide. Biography Ole Windingstad was born in Sandefjord, Norway. At age 14, he studied at the Music Conservatory in Oslo, Norway and three years later in Leipzig Germany . There he studied piano, organ, composition and conducting. In 1905 he traveled to the United States. He settled in New York in 1906. Ole Windingstad married Anna Hansen. They had five children: Solveig, Alf, Edgar, Jane and Arthur. Solveig, Alf and Jane died of Spanish flu in 1918, and Edgar died in a traffic accident in 1959. In 1926 he was appointed Knight to the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for his work with Norwegian music in America. Ole Windingstad’s most important musical work was a symphony called The Tides, which was composed in 1936 and first performed in Albany in 1938. The Tides was also played in New Orleans in 1941. During his tour as conductor in 1955, Ole Windingstad also performed the piece at the Aula University in Oslo Norway. He was c

Ørjan Matre

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Ørjan Matre (born 6 December 1979 in Bergen) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Biography Matre studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music from 1999 to 2005 with teachers such as Bjørn Kruse, Olav Anton Thommessen, Lasse Thoresen and Henrik Hellstenius. Matre has written music for a wide variety of settings from chamber ensembles to symphonic orchestras. In 2011, Matre was bestowed with the Lindeman Prize for Young Musicians, and in the following year he received the Edvard Prize in the contemporary category for his clarinet concerto Inside Out. 2015 saw Matre winning the TONO Composer’s Prize at the Spellemannprisen Awards, the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy, for the release Ørjan Matre: PreSage & Violin Concerto with Peter Herresthal and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. During the 2006-2007 concert season, Matre served as the composer in residence of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, and in the 2013-2014 season he was the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra’s profile composer. From 2010 to 2012, Matre was the focal point of the Music Information Centre Norway’s INTRO-Composer – and international launch programme for young composers. Matre’s works have been performed

Oscar Borg

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Oscar Borg (11 June 1851 – 29 December 1930) was a Norwegian composer and conductor. He is best known for his compositions of marches for wind bands. Alfred Oscar Johannessen Borg was born in Halden, Norway. His father, Ole Peter Johannesen (1816–1890), was from the Borg farm in Solør, from which the family name originated. His father was music sergeant in the 1st Brigades Band of Fredriksten Fortress in Halden. Oscar Borg attended the Royal College of Music (Musikaliska Akademien) in Stockholm, under the sponsorship of the Crown Prince of Sweden, later King Oscar II of Sweden. He entered the academy in 1869 and took the music director exam with top marks in the spring of 1872. He had a contractual obligation to return to his old band. He gave his first concert in his hometown as flautist and violinist during October 1872. When in 1881, conductor Friedrich August Reissiger resigned as director of the 1st Brigades Band, Oscar Borg was his replacement. Borg remained the director of the 1st Brigades Band in Halden until he resigned 11 June 1918. Borg’s compositions are characterized by good melodies, euphonious harmonies and skillful instrumentation. Oscar Borg composed 60 marches for

Øyvind Hegg-Lunde

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Øyvind Hegg-Lunde (born 12 February 1982 in Lærdal, Norway) is a Norwegian drummer and composer, raised in Borgund, Lærdal, but today resides in Bergen. He is known from collaborations with José Gonzalez, Junip, Arve Henriksen, Ståle Storløkken, Frode Haltli, Trygve Seim, Per Jørgensen, Terje Isungset, Håkon Kornstad, Kurt Johannessen, Stein Urheim, The Megaphonic Thrift, Odin Staveland, Odd Martin Skålnes, Erlend O. Nødtvedt, Nils Petter Molvær, Eivind Aarset and Marilyn Mazur. Career Hegg-Lunde holds a Master’s degree in jazz/improvised music at Griegakademiet and the Högskolan för scen och musik in Gothenburg. He is active in several separate projects, like Building Instrument, Erlend Apneseth Trio, Strings & Timpani, Electric Eye, BERG, Crab is Crap, Glow, Krachmacher, The Big Almost, PSST, Oliva/Abbuehl/Hegg-Lunde, Susanne Abbuehl. Since 2001 he has toured clubs and festivals in Norway and Scandinavia, as well as Europe, America, Africa. He has collaborated with other art forms such as dance, poetry, theater, performance art and VJs. He has received various scholarships and awards, including Nattjazz sin Vitalpris. Together with co-composer Stephan Meidell, Hegg-Lunde got bril

Øyvind Mæland

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Øyvind Mæland (born 1985) is a Norwegian composer. Career Øyvind Mæland studied the piano at the Barratt Due Institute of Music with Jiri Hlinka, before studying composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Olav Anton Thommessen, Ivar Frounberg and Henrik Hellstenius. He has also participated in several master classes, with lessons from composers such as Aperghis, Furrer, Billone, Ferneyhough, M. Stroppa and Czernowin. Mæland’s compositional output is primarily centered on chamber and ensemble works, and he has collaborated with such performers and ensembles as Håkon Austbø, Marco Fusi, Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen, Stine Motland, Pinquins, Oslo String Quartet, Kairos Quartet, Aksiom, BIT20 Ensemble with Pierre-André Valade, Telemark Chamber Orchestra, Bodø Sinfonietta, Sjøforsvarets musikkorps, and the Oslo Sinfonietta with Christian Eggen. His music has seen a number of performances at festivals such as Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Borealis and Oslo International Chamber Music Festival. In 2013 Mæland completed his two hour long opera Ad undas – Solaris Korrigert (for full orchestra, 6 soloists, and a nine-voiced choir), which opened at the Norwegian Opera House

Øyvind Torvund

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Øyvind Torvund (born 1976) is a Norwegian composer. Torvund was born in Porsgrunn. He studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo) with Bjørn Kruse and Ivar Frounbergand, as well as at Universität der Künste (Berlin) with Friedrich Goldmann. Equally important is his background as a guitarist in rock and improvising groups. He has ongoing relationship with groups such as asamisimasa (Norway), Oslo Sinfonietta and Plus-Minus ensemble (UK), as well as the video artist Yorgos Sapountzis. Torvund has been a composer in residence for Oslo Sinfonietta, written pieces for ensemble Ascolta, Ensemble Zwischentöne, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Plus Minus ensemble and Yarn/Wire. His pieces have been performed in Donaueschinger Musiktage, MaerzMusik, Ultraschall, Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Transit festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Other Minds festival and at the Darmstadt International Ferienkurse. Key Torvund works includes “Giants of Jazz” (sax, accordion, double bass). “How Sound Travels” (orchestra), the improvisation series “Bandrom”, “Tune Park” (chamber ensemble), “Wolf Studies” (sextet), “Forest Construction” (chamber ensemble), “Krull Qu

Pauline Hall (composer)

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Pauline Margrete Hall (2 August 1890 – 24 January 1969) was a Norwegian composer and music critic. She was the founding chairwoman of Ny Musikk (1938–1961) and served as president of the International Society for Contemporary Music (1952–1953). Background Pauline Hall was born at Hamar in Hedmark, Norway. She was the daughter of Isak Muus Hall (1849–1914) and Magdalena Catharina Agersborg (1854–1934). Her father was a pharmacist who operated several pharmacies in Hamar, at Kabelvåg in Lofoten and in Tromsø. From 1908 she studied piano with composer and pianist Johan Backer Lunde (1874–1958) in Kristiania (now Oslo). From 1910 to 1912 she studied the theory and composition of classical composers with music educator Catharinus Elling. She also had a study stay in Paris from 1912 to 1914. Career Hall’s debut as a composer came in 1917 with a full-length concert evening in Oslo featuring solely her works. Hall was initially known as a composer of romances, but today her orchestral works, and in particular 1929’s Verlaine Suite, stand out as centerpieces of her compositional output. French impressionism and literature would prove to be key sources of inspiration for Hall, an influx that

Peder Elias

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Peder Elias Eriksrud Kjørholt (born 14 January 1997) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. He debuted in 2018 and released his first album, Love & Loneliness, in 2022. At the 2023 Spellemannprisen, Elias won the Spellemann Award for International Success of the Year for exporting Norwegian music in 2022. Discography Albums * Love & Loneliness (2022) Charted songs Awards and nominations Notes References External links *

Philip Kruse

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Philip Antony Kruse (born 13 May 1949) is a Norwegian orchestra leader, composer, arranger, producer, text writer, and musician (trumpet and vocals). He is the second son of Colonel Erling O. Kruse (born 1922) and Eunice Cooklin (born 1925). Career In his early career he joined the group Bendik Singers with his brother Bjørn Kruse. Bendik Singers was a vocal quartet founded by Arne Bendiksen, where the two brothers sang with Anne-Karine Strøm and Ellen Nikolaysen. They won the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix twice. Kruse worked with Arne Bendiksen’s record company in 1971 to 1979 before he got together with Frode Thingnæs and started Frost Music A/S in 1979. He led this music publishing company until it was sold to EMI in 1999. He was chairman of GramArt and is the chairman of the main jury of the Edvard price given by TONO and director of the Norsk Musikkfond. In 1997 he received the Oslo City Culture Grant. In 2011, he became chairman of the board of NMFF (Norwegian Music Publisher Association) and board member of TONO. Bibliography *Philip A. Kruse (2011): Musikkforlaget : fra copyright til cash (in Norwegian) Discography *1974: Bendik Singers (Triola), with Bendik Singers *1978: No

Ragnar Søderlind

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Ragnar Søderlind (born 27 June 1945) is a Norwegian composer. He has written ballets and operas, and for the concert hall, programmatic works based on poems. Biography Ragnar studied with Conrad Baden in Oslo and with Erik Bergman and Joonas Kokkonen at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. This was followed by studies in conducting at the Norwegian State Academy of Music where he is currently a faculty member. As a composer, Søderlind initially composed orchestral works which were strongly influenced by late Romanticism and early 20th-century European music. His style has become more advanced over the years, yet throughout he has been a master of orchestration and has maintained his personal stamp on sound. In addition to orchestral music, his output includes incidental music for plays, ballets and operas. He has also arranged a considerable amount of music, including several works by Edvard Grieg, and he has recently written an opera that includes Grieg’s music for Olav Tryggvason. Discography *Søderlind’s Violin Concerto has been recorded together with Johan Kvandal’s on the Centaur label. *Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3, “Rokkomborre”, London Symphony Orchestra, Ragnar Söderlind conductor,

Ragnhild Berstad

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Ragnhild Berstad (born in Oslo in 1956) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Career Berstad started her musical career as a guitarist and music teacher. She later studied music theory at the University of Oslo and composition with Lasse Thoresen and Olav Anton Thommessen at the Norwegian State Academy of Music, where she received her diploma in 1997. Berstad’s works have seen performances at a number of festivals at home and abroad including the 1997 ISCM World Music Days in Seoul with her work Respiro, the 1999 Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival with the work Toreuma, NYC in 1998 with the work Focus! as well as the 1998 Bourges Festival for Electro-acoustic Music and the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris and Numus in Aarhus in the same year. In 2012 Berstad premiered a new orchestral work Requiem performed by the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir and Oslo Camerata at the Oslo International Church Music Festival. 2014 saw Berstad’s work Cardinem performed by the Klangforum Wien at the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival. The work was commissioned by Klangforum Wien as part of the orchestra’s Giacinto Scelsi Revisited-project. The work also saw performances the same year

Rikard Nordraak

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Rikard Nordraak (12 June 1842 – 20 March 1866) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known as the composer of the Norwegian national anthem, “Ja, vi elsker dette landet”. Biography Rikard Nordraak was born and grew up in Oslo, Norway. He published his Fem norske Digte: Op. 2, consisting of songs and poems by Bjørnson and Jonas Lie. This was the last of his compositions that would be published during his lifetime. In May 1865, he returned to Berlin to continue his education. In October 1865, he caught tuberculosis and died in Paris five months later. He was buried in Kirchhof Jerusalem in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg. In 1925, Nordraak’s coffin was exhumed and reburied in the Honor Grove at Vår Frelsers gravlund in Oslo. His Scherzo Capriccio for piano solo, given the opus number 3, was published posthumously by Edvard Grieg. The piece is a rondo, using several features from Norwegian folk music; rhythms typical in slåtter, and dissonances typical for the hardingfele. Rikard Nordraak. Samlede verker, a critical edition of Nordraak overall compositions were published by Øyvind Anker and Olav Gurvin (1942). Nordraak inspired Grieg to compose Funeral March in Memory of Rikard No

Rolf Gupta

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Rolf Arvind Gupta (born 14 January 1967) is a Norwegian contemporary composer and conductor. Early life and education Born in Uppsala, Gupta has studied with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki as well as with Ilya Musin and Herbert Blomstedt. Gupta also studied composition with Olav Anton Thommessen, Per Nørgård, Antonio Bibalo and Lasse Thoresen at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Career 2003 to 2005 saw Gupta acting as the chief conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and he led the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra from 2004 to 2006. As a guest conductor, he has worked with such orchestras as the Oslo Philharmonic, which has performed his work Chiaroscuro while touring internationally. Other engagements include a concert version of Grieg’s Peer Gynt with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and the choir of the Mariinsky Opera during Valery Gergiev’s White Nights Festival in Saint Petersburg, Radio France Présences Festival, Moscow Easter Festival, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, BBC, the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Weimar, Orchestra della Toscana, Avanti! and Ensemble intercontemporain. From 2006 to 2013,

Rolf Løvland

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Rolf Undsæt Løvland (born 19 April 1955) is a Norwegian composer, lyricist, arranger, and pianist. Together with Fionnuala Sherry, he formed the Celtic-Nordic group Secret Garden, in which he was the composer, producer, and keyboardist. He began composing at an early age (he formed a band at the age of nine) and grew up studying at the Kristiansand Music Conservatory, later receiving his master’s degree from the Norwegian Institute of Music in Oslo. Notable songs Løvland has won the Eurovision Song Contest twice, resulting in Norway’s first two titles. He composed the song “La det swinge” in 1985. He also composed the song “Nocturne” in 1995, as part of the duo Secret Garden. He also composed the song “You Raise Me Up”. In an interview with Radio Norge in February 2010, Løvland stated that this song had been covered more than 500 times thus far. Barbra Streisand asked Ann Hampton Callaway to write lyrics to a Rolf Løvland melody which she entitled “I’ve Dreamed of You”, and sang to James Brolin at their wedding. The song was later recorded on her CD, “A Love Like Ours”, released as a single and selected for the album, The Essential Barbra Streisand. Streisand performed this song on

Rolf Wallin

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Rolf Wallin (born 7 September 1957) is a Norwegian composer, trumpeter and avant-garde performance artist. Biography Wallin was born in Oslo, where he studied with Finn Mortensen and Olav Anton Thommessen. He later studied at the University of California where his teachers included Roger Reynolds and Vinko Globokar. Wallin’s music combines an intuitive freedom with a rigorous mathematical approach, such as use of fractal algorithms to construct melody and harmony. In 1998 he was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize. Career highlights * 1976–82 – studied at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. * 1987 – Norwegian Society of Composers Award for …though what made it has gone. * 1991 – developed ‘crystal chord’ technique for generation of harmony in ning. * 1998 – awarded Nordic Council Music Prize for Clarinet Concerto. * 2000 – portrait CD Boyl released on Aurora label; wins Norwegian Spelemann prisen. * 2001 – featured composer at Stockholm International Composer Festival. Key works * …though what made it has gone (1987; mezzo-soprano, piano) * Stonewave (1990; percussion) * Boyl (1995; chamber ensemble) * Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (1996) * Ground (1996; cello, strings)

Sandra Droucker

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Sandra Droucker (Drouker or Droucher) (7 May 18751 April 1944) was a Russian concert pianist, composer and music pedagogue. Life and career Sandra Droucker was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, the daughter of a Jewish German father and a mother who was a member of the Russian nobility. She studied music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Anton Rubinstein, and made her debut in 1894. She toured Europe and Russia, quickly developing her own style as a pianist. In 1896 Droucker made her debut in Berlin to positive reviews. During the 1880s she lived in Berlin, continuing her career as a concert pianist. Between 1904 and 1906 she taught in Berlin at Petersen’s Academy of Music and at the Stern Conservatory. Notable students included the Norwegian composer and pianist Anne-Marie Ørbeck (1911–1996), Hilde Lange, Leni Dilthey, Marie Silbermann, Delli Georges and Gerda Paucksch. In 1905 Droucker taught music to Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. Droucker married the Austrian pianist Gottfried Galston in 1910 and changed her name to Droucker-Galston. The couple took up residence in Munich, and the marriage lasted until 1918. In 1926 Droucker returned to Berlin; however, after 1933, sh

Signe Lund

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Signe Lund-Skabo (15 April 1868 – 6 April 1950) was a Norwegian composer and music teacher. Biography Signe Lund was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. She was the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Henrik Louis Bull Lund (1838–1891), and pianist Birgitte Theodora Carlsen (1843–1913), and was the sister of the artist Henrik Lund (1879–1935) and the aunt of the sculptor Knut Henrik Lund (1909-1991). She studied with Erika Nilsson, Per Winge and Iver Holter at the Oslo Conservatory of Music (Musikkonservatoriet i Oslo). After encouragement and praise from Edvard Grieg, she studied in Berlin with Wilhelm Berger and also in Copenhagen and Paris. After completing her studies she worked as a teacher in Norway. She married Jørgen Skabo and later French architect George Robards. Lund emigrated to the United States about 1900 and took a position teaching at Mayville State Normal School in Mayville, North Dakota. She became active in the North Dakota Socialist party and Nonpartisan League and circulated petitions for the release of anti-war activist Kate Richards O’Hare from state prison in Missouri, which led to her dismissal from the Mayville teaching position. She later worked in New Yor

Sigurd Islandsmoen

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Sigurd Islandsmoen (August 27, 1881 – July 1, 1964) was a Norwegian composer. Sigurd Islandsmoen made significant contributions to the music of the Church of Norway. In all he wrote some 70 opuses, among these five feature-length works for orchestra, choir and soloists. He is perhaps best known for his composition Requiem written between 1935 and 1936 and first premiered in 1943. Background Sigurd Islandsmoen was born in Bagn (Sør-Aurdal Municipality), in Oppland county, Norway. He grew up on the family farm, the youngest of nine siblings. He was the brother of Norwegian educator and politician, Olaus Islandsmoen. He studied at the music academy of Oslo, later as well in Leipzig, where amongst others Max Reger was his teacher. The time in Leipzig is believed to have had a great influence on his musical development, and especially the organist Karl Straube (1873–1950) and conductor Arthur Nikisch (1855–1922). He took an exam at Elverum Teacher Academy in 1904 and worked as a teacher from 1904 to 1916. First he worked as a teacher and organist for some years in his home village of Bagn, and later he worked for the six years as music teacher in Gjøvik. From 1916 to 1961 he was church

Sigurd Jansen

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Sigurd Jansen (born 4 March 1932) is a Norwegian composer, pianist and conductor. Biography Sigurd Alf Jansen was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. He studied classical music at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He was a teacher of piano from 1957 to 1962. Jansen has worked as an orchestra leader at Chat Noir, and as jazz pianist, orchestra leader and arranger on a number of recordings. Since 1957 he has worked in the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation where he is responsible for the music of a variety of TV programs and movies. His main occupation is to compose, arrange, conduct and play piano. Sigurd Jansen is also a composer and has won several awards for his compositions. In 1964 Jansen won the Norwegian final of the Eurovision Song Contest with Spiral, with text by Egil Hagen (1912- 2004), performed by Arne Bendiksen. He has composed music for several movies. Jansen was also consultant for the Norwegian pavilion in EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World. Conductor Internationally, he has served as conductor for his own compositions and arrangements with, among others, the following: * Malmö Symphony Orchestra * Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra * BBC Symphony Orchestra

Sjur Helgeland

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Sjur Larsson Helgeland (19 August 1858 − 12 April 1924) was a Norwegian hardingfele fiddler and composer. Biography He was born in Voss Municipality in Søndre Bergenhus county, Norway. His parents were Lars Olsson Hirt (1823–1908) and Brita Helgeland (1820–98). He grew up in the rural valley of Myrkdalen in the parish of Vossestrand (later part of Vossestrand Municipality). He received musical training from local Hardanger fiddle players including Ola Mosafinn (1828–1912). In 1896, he won the first annual Norwegian folk music and dance competition (Vest landskappleiken) conducted at Bergen. Among his best-known airs is Budeiene på Vikafjell, a composition reflecting the different moods of three dairymaids; sorrow, joy and happiness, combined with cattle call, lows, wind and bird singing. Helgeland died in 1924 and was buried at Vinje Church (). A stone memorial to Sjur Helgeland was raised in his home village during 1958. References

Slopes (musician)

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Dag Holtan-Hartwig (born April 16, 1991), known professionally as Slopes, is a Norwegian singer, composer and music producer. Biography Holtan-Hartwig grew up in a musical family in a suburb of Oslo and began playing in bands at the age of twelve. In England, he enrolled at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) and performed there in front of Sir Paul McCartney, who gave him important advice. At LIPA, he met fellow Norwegian singer Halvor Folstad and started to work with him. Both got a record contract in Norway. After the training they went their separate ways. Folstad returned to Oslo, and Holtan-Hartwig worked as a producer in London and later in Los Angeles. Returning to Oslo, Holtan-Hartwig and Folstad formed the duo Skinny Days in 2015 and released their debut single Alright Right Now. As songwriters and producers for other artists, Folstad and Holtan-Hartwig have been responsible for billions of streams for artists such as Ava Max, Alan Walker, SeeB, and Julie Bergan. As Slopes, Dag Holtan-Hartwig has been performing solo since 2021. To that end, he signed a contract with Warner Music. Discography Slopes * Prove Them Wrong (2021) As part of Skinny Days * Alright

Sophie Dedekam

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Sophie Dedekam (1 April 18201 June 1894) was a Norwegian composer and diarist, one of the most significant Norwegian women composers of the 19th century, and principally remembered today for a hymn included in the Church of Norway Hymn Book and for her published recollections of a visit to Paris. Dedekam was born in the Norwegian coastal town of Arendal, the daughter of the town’s mayor. She became active in the social and cultural life of the city at an early age, where she sang and played the piano. She traveled to Paris when she was 25 for a visit of several weeks, recording her experiences in letters and in a diary that were published after she died. Dedekam did some public concertizing as a singer and collaborative pianist early in her life, but most of her performing was limited to amateur venues in the Arendal area or at home with her family and friends. Dedekam also composed songs from an early age, again mostly for local consumption. Many of her pieces were eventually published by Wilhelm Hansen Music Publishers (known today as Edition Wilhelm Hansen) in Copenhagen. A number of her songs became quite well known in Norway as a result, but Sophie rarely received recognition

Ståle Kleiberg

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Ståle Kleiberg (born 8 March 1958) is a contemporary classical composer and musicologist from Norway. Biography Kleiberg was born in Stavanger in 1958. He graduated from the University of Oslo with a degree in musicology and later from the Norwegian Academy of Music with a diploma degree in composition. In addition he has studied in England. Kleiberg has worked as a composer since 1981 when he received his first commission. He was appointed associate professor at the department of music at the University of Trondheim in 1986, and professor of music at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2008. Works Kleiberg’s output ranges from chamber music to works for full orchestra; a number of these are the result of commissions from leading orchestras and ensembles. Kleiberg’s works are often to be found on concert programmes. His ‘Dopo’ for cello and string orchestra was included on the TrondheimSoloist’s recent tour of England. In the British journal ‘Tempo’ this work is described as having ‘…made a deep and lasting impression’ and that ‘Kleiberg weaves an angry expressionistic line of immense power and virtuosity’. Among his works for full orchestra is the sympho

Steinar Ofsdal

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Steinar Ofsdal (born 4 October 1948) is a Norwegian composer and flutist. Career Ofsdal has since 1967 performed on numerous stages in Norway, and worldwide in different settings. * Landskappleiken winner at Geilo, 2009 Discography As leader * Floytesprell (Plateselskapet Mai, 1978) * Hat Trick (Hot Line, 1984) * Reisefeber (Slager, 1985) * Kalender (Slager, 1987) * Vestenfor Mane (Slager, 1989) * Sjofloyta (Slager, 1995) * Aw/Ofsdal/Sereba/Kake (Etnisk Musikklubb, 2004) As sideman With Sigmund Groven * Motlys (Polydor, 1979) * Colour Slides (NOPA, 1985) * Nattonsker (Sonet, 1991) With Lars Klevstrand * Twostep & Bla Ballader (Polydor, 1974) * To I Spann (Plateselskapet Mai, 1979) * Frie Hender (Plateselskapet Mai, 1981) With Geirr Lystrup * Grendevisur & Danselat (Plateselskapet Mai, 1977) * Kom Sol Pa Alle Mine Berg (Sonet, 1981) * Brakar & Joanna (Juni, 1993) * Sangen Om Yebo (Juni, 2005) With Lillebjorn Nilsen * Portrett (Polydor, 1973) * …Og Fia Hadde Sko! (Polydor, 1974) * Byen Med Det Store Hjertet (Polydor, 1975) * Oslo 3 (NorDisc, 1979) * Sanger (Grappa, 1988) * Haba Haba (Grappa, 1995) With others * Stein Ove Berg, Nar Dagen Kommer (Talent, 1977) * Marie Bergman, Hjarta

Sverre Jordan

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Sverre Jordan (25 May 1889 – 10 January 1972) was a Norwegian composer, orchestra conductor, and pianist. Biography Jordan was born into the family of Kaspar Joachim Jordan (1859–1924), an insurance agent, and Anne Marie Margrethe Kjærbye (1866–1935) from Denmark. He was initially married to actress Magda Blanc from 1918 to 1949, and later to actress Nina Sandvik Kristensen (29 March 1920 – 30 October 1996) starting in 1949. The family had a strong musical background, as depicted in a painting showing Jordan’s grandfather, Caspar Jordan, at the spinet. One of his aunts was a renowned pianist in Denmark, although Jordan himself was not destined to become “the musician” of the family. After completing middle school at Bergen katedralskole, his father wanted him to attend the newly established trade school in Bergen. Jordan, however, worked for several years at the oil company Vestlandske Petroleumskompagni before his father recognized his son’s true calling in music. In 1959, he was honored with the title of Knight of the 1st order in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. Music In 1906 he made his first composition Nat. He went to Berlin and studied under Teresa Carreño and Conrad A

Synne Skouen

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Synne Skouen (born 8 August 1950) is a Norwegian music writer and composer. Biography Skouen was born in Oslo. She studied at the Vienna Academy of Music with Alfred Uhl and Erwin Ratz for composition and Dieter Kaufmann and Friedrich Cerha for electronic music. She also studied with Finn Mortensen in Oslo, receiving her degree in composition from the Norwegian Academy of Music in 1976. Skouen appeared in the 1966 film Reisen til havet, directed by her father, Arne Skouen. She worked as a member of the experimental music theatre group “Die Fremden” in Vienna. From 1977 to 1986 she worked as editor of the contemporary music periodical Ballade, and wrote as a music critic for Arbeiderbladet. In 1993 Skouen became the music director for Norwegian Broadcasting’s cultural channel, and in 1999 was named Head of Culture. In 2002 she served as President of the Society of Norwegian Composers. Synne Skouen has received a number of varied commissions throughout her career including works written for the Festival of North Norway, Bergen International Festival, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Oslo International Grieg Festival, Ny Musikk, Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and NRK. Skouen has also

Therese Birkelund Ulvo

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Therese Birkelund Ulvo (born 24 November 1982) is a Norwegian composer and producer. Birkelund Ulvo studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music from 2002 to 2008 and at the Guildhall School of Music in 2005 under the tutorship of Lasse Thoresen, Peter Tornquist and Diana Burrell. From 2010 to 2012, Ulvo was part of MIC Music Information Centre Norway’s international launch programme INTRO-composer. Ulvo was bestowed with the award De Unges Lindemanpris in 2015. In 2013, Ulvo composed the score for the play Heilage Sunniva, staged at the Bergen International Festival and the next year she was appointed artistic leadership of the festival Hardanger Musikkfest with singer and actor Tora Augestad. At the 63rd International Rostrum for composers in Wroclaw, Poland, held in May 2016, Ulvo’s work Shadow and Shields was included in the Recommended Works general category, a selection of eleven works recommended for airplay in 30 participating European countries. As the first of a total of six Norwegian composers, Ulvo was in October 2017 presented as a participant of the new KUPP-programme, an international developmental- and network-programme for young aspiring Norwegian composers initiated

Thomas Bergersen

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Thomas Jacob Bergersen (born 4 July 1980, Trondheim, Norway) is a Norwegian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and the co-founder of the production music company Two Steps From Hell. He is among the worlds most streamed artists in the classical crossover genre, with over 2 million streams per month on Spotify. Bergersen’s compositions have featured in many famous movie series, such as Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Twilight Saga, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, The Mummy, The Dark Knight, and Tron: Legacy. His compositions have also been featured in many soundtracks and film trailers. Career Bergersen is self-taught. He began playing piano at the age of 6 and started writing symphonic music in his teens. He started his musical career as a demoscener, writing tracked modules under the name Lioz in the group Index. Bergersen worked with fellow Norwegian artist Boom Jinx on the 2007 trance single “Remember September”. In May 2010, Bergersen and his business partner, Nick Phoenix, released a debut public Epic Music Two Steps From Hell album titled Invincible. Several additional commercial album releases followed, including Archangel and SkyWorld. Bergersen a

Thomas Tellefsen

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Thomas Dyke Acland Tellefsen (26 November 1823 – 6 October 1874) was a Norwegian pianist, composer, and teacher. As a composer, Tellefsen wrote 44 opuses, including solo piano works, two piano concertos, and chamber music. He dedicated many of his compositions to the Polish, Russian, and French aristocracy. Life Tellefsen, the youngest of six siblings, Thomas gave his first public concert in his home town in the spring of 1842, age 18. Here, he became the pupil of his compatriot Charlotte Thygeson (1811–1872; a daughter of Nicolai Emanuel de Thygeson), Tellefsen’s “highest wish”—to study under Chopin—was hugely difficult. Tellefsen stated that it was “more difficult to reach Chopin than Louis-Philippe”. It was not until November 1844—through the influence of George Sand—that Tellefsen finally attained this wish. Tellefsen’s letters indicate Chopin’s interest in him, spending as much as three hours at a single lesson, During the years 1844 to 1848, According to Tellefsen, Ludwika gave him the only complete manuscript of Chopin’s compositions remaining after his death, which Tellefsen later used for his edition of Chopin’s works. Princess Marcelina Czartoryska took him to the Hôtel L

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen

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Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (born 11 January 1964) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Life Aagaard-Nilsen was born in Oslo and grew up in Kabelvåg on Lofoten in northern Norway. From 1986 to 1990, he studied at the Bergen Conservatory of Music (now known as the Grieg Academy) and at the University of Bergen. From 1990 to 1994, he worked at the Bergen Conservatory as a teacher of contemporary classical music. Furthermore, he was leader of the Autunnale-festivalen - (Music Factory and Autunnale), also in Bergen. In 1992 and 1993, he arranged and composed for the Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps Vestlandet - Norwegian Army Band, Bergen (NABB), writing, among other works, Arctic Landscape. In this period Aagaard-Nilsen wrote many works for wind band and brass band. As a composer, he has written for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, wind band and brass band. Works that exemplify Aagard-Nilsen’s focus on narrative and visual aspects in a nearly impulsive form include Fabula I and Fabula II (1996), Sinfonietta (1998) and The Season of Blue Lights (2008) commissioned by BIT20 Ensemble. A stronger focus on expressive elements in Aagard-Nilsen’s output is evident in works such as Pierrot’s Lament

Trond Kverno

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Trond Hans Farner Kverno (born 20 October 1945, in Oslo) is a contemporary Norwegian composer. He received degrees in church music, music theory and choir direction from the Norwegian Academy of Music. He is known for his liturgical compositions. He also serves as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Christ Catholic Church International. Church music has spearheaded major new developments in music in Norway throughout the post-war period, in terms of both musical innovation and institutional renewal. At the same time church music composers have enjoyed growing popularity among musicians and listeners alike. Trond H.F. Kverno has been an exponent of this tradition since the 1970s, and his compositions are today among the finest and most frequently performed in Norway. Trond H.F. Kverno was born in Oslo in 1945. He took his degree in church music from the Oslo Conservatory of Music in 1967. The following year he took a degree in music theory and choir direction. He was ordained deacon of music in 1975, and has served as an organist in a number of churches in Oslo and elsewhere. After beginning his teaching career at the Oslo Conservatory of Music in 1971, Trond H.F. Kverno transferred to the N

Trond Reinholdtsen

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Trond Reinholdtsen (born 7 November 1972) is a Norwegian contemporary composer and vocalist. Reinholdtsen graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music where he subsequently completed his diploma degree in composition. Reinholdtsen’s first pieces were modernistic, complex works in the German style, of which the best known is perhaps Psalm (Narrative Studies) for sinfonietta recorded on the album Faces (2000). He has also distinguished himself as a singer in the ensemble Nordic Voices, and is active as a culture critic and commentator. Since his debut, Reinholdtsen’s music has developed in a performative direction; conventional music passages are fused with performance-based forms of expression including essayistic interpretations, live-camera filming and elements including statistical facts, and face-making. A trademark feature of his performances is the concert-ending “composer’s speech to the audience”; a talk that could be performed live on screen, in recorded format or relayed through instruments such as midi-drums. In 2005, Reinholdtsen received the Fartein Valen Scholarship and in 2011 he was bestowed with the Arne Nordheim Composer’s Prize. His works have been performed inte

Trygve Madsen

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Trygve Madsen (born 15 February 1940) is a Norwegian composer and pianist. Early life and education Born in Fredrikstad, Madsen demonstrated musical ability at an early age when he began to learn to play the piano at age six and first started composing aged seven. Madsen went on to study under Egil Hovland and Erik Werba, Madsen’s personal interest in playing jazz piano and the influence that pianists such as Art Tatum, Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson had on him can be heard in his use of the piano. Career Trygve Madsen produced an extensive number of works, including many published by Musikk-Husets Forlag – in 2009, the company had 125 works by Madsen in their catalogue. and in 2009 The Dream of the Rhinoceros was used as an obligatory piece at a Polish national horn competition. Aside from printed music, the composer has also had his work featured on thirty-six CDs, eight of which were solely dedicated to his work. Production Selected works * Einladung zu eine Reise mit Mozart und vier Hornisten * Konzert für Trompete und Orchester * Circus Terra, an opera with libretto by Jon Bing * Suite for Flute and Piano, Op. 2 * Sonata for Horn and Piano, Op. 24 * Concerto #1 for Piano and