KARIN HELLQVIST
CIKADA
Cikada has been a key player on the Nordic contemporary music scene since its formation in 1989. Never afraid to follow its own path, the ensemble continues to renew itself through astute, innovative programming, and the ever-present desire to let audiences experience some of the best music of our time.
The ensemble has since the outset consisted of ten permanent members: flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, string quintet and conductor. It performs at prestigious festivals such as Donaueschinger Musiktage, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Klangspuren Schwaz, Sacrum Profanum, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, Bergen International Festival, Warszaw Autumn, ECLAT Stuttgart and the Ultima Festival, of which it is a founding member.
Over the years Cikada has commissioned and premiered 200+ works by some of the today’s leading composers both internationally and domestically. This includes collaborations with composers such as Carola Bauckholt, Richard Barrett, Laurence Crane, James Dillon and Liza Lim, as well as recent commissions from Georg Friedrich Haas, Malin Bång, Clara Iannotta, and Klaus Lang. Cikada is also a strong protagonist for the many exciting voices of new Norwegian music, with large commissions and portrait concerts by Eivind Buene, Lars Petter Hagen, Jon Øivind Ness, Asbjørn Schaatun, Maja Ratkje, Rolf Wallin, and Kristine Tjøgersen to name a few.
Cikada has released numerous albums for ECM, Lawo Classics, Aurora and 2L among others, as well as appearing on several split albums and compilations. Their oeuvre has garnered accolades such as the Norwegian Grammy «Spellemannprisen», the Edison Award and the prestigious Nordic Council’s Music Prize of 2005, in addition to several nominations.
Cikada Ensemble is funded by the Norwegian Arts Council and Oslo Municipality.
OSLO SINFONIETTA
Oslo Sinfonietta, Norway’s oldest running contemporary ensemble, was established by the Norwegian composer Asbjørn Schaathun in 1986. The ensemble is under the leadership of Christian Eggen, who is artistic director and chief conductor. Oslo Sinfonietta comprises leading freelance musicians and members from some of Norway’s most prominent orchestras, including The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra,The Norwegian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and The Norwegian Radio Orchestra. This ensures that the ensemble has the quality and flexibility that modern repertoire demands.
Among Oslo Sinfonietta’s numerous recordings are ‘Birds and Bells’, with music by Bent Sørensen and Eivind Buene’s ‘Objects of Desire’. In 1999, Oslo Sinfonietta was awarded the prestigious Spellemannspris, Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy, for ‘Boyl’, with music by Rolf Wallin.
Oslo Sinfoniettaperforms regularly at Norwegian and international festivals. Highlights include appearances at The Casa da Música Festival in Porto, The Présence Festival in Paris and The Venice Biennale.