— Voices from all eras.

This Friday we have the pleasure of experiencing the Edvard Grieg Vocal Ensemble in the rich acoustics of the University Aula. With its eight singers, it is Bergen's leading professional vocal ensemble and forms the professional core of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra's symphonic choir — a constellation that in recent years has won several Gramophone Awards and made its debut at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. At our concert, they are led by conductor and choirmaster Håkon Matti Skrede.

The programme spans a wide range: From Arvo Pärt's meditative soundscapes and Cheryl Frances-Hoad's more quiet expressions, to dramatic works by Paul Patterson and Gösta Nystroem. We will also hear Grieg's Holberg Suite in a vocal arrangement, alongside the Scandinavian premiere of Julian Anderson's Nothing at all from 2022. Take a look at the complete programme further down the page and be inspired. We look forward to seeing you!

Håkon Matti Skrede conductor
Hilde Veslemøy Hagen soprano
Ingvill Holter soprano
Katie Macdonald everything
Daiana Aksamit everything
Tyler Ray tenor
Paul Robinson tenor & musical director
Ørjan Hartveit bass
David Hansford bass

Duration approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes including interval.

• Concert program

  Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
  Which was the son of… (2000)

  Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b. 1980)
  From the beginning of the world (2015)

  Paul Patterson (b. 1947)
  Time Piece (1972)

  Gösta Nyström (1890—1966)
  Three Sea Visions

  Edvard Grieg (1843—1907)
  From the Holberg Suite, Op. 40

  Julian Anderson (b. 1967)
  Nothing at all (2022). Scandinavian premiere

  Herbert Murrill (1909—1952)
  O mistress mine, from Two Songs from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

  Ward Swingle (1927—2015)
  It was a lover and his lass

  Jerome Kern (1885—1945)
  All the things you are

• About the ensemble

  Edvard Grieg Vocal Ensemble is Bergen's leading professional vocal ensemble, established in 2003 and consisting of eight singers under the musical direction of Paul Robinson. Together with regular guest singers, they also make up the larger Edvard Grieg Choir — and both ensembles form the professional core of the opera choir for Bergen National Opera and the symphonic choir for the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

  In recent years, the ensemble has achieved widespread international recognition. They have won several Gramophone Awards, including Recording of the Year with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and made their debut at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in 2023. The ensemble boasts an extensive catalogue of new works and arrangements written especially for them by composers such as David Lang, Roderick Williams, Kim André Arnesen and Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen, and regularly collaborates with ensembles like Voces8, Barokkanerne and Manchester Camerata.

  The vocal ensemble is ensemble in residence at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

We wish you an enjoyable, unique concert experience with us. Welcome!

Photo: Jan-Henning Aase