The choir's 75th anniversary year and end of Grete Pedersen’s tenure as Artistic Director.
Under the visionary leadership of Grete Pedersen, The Norwegian Soloists' Choir has reached new heights. In the summer of 2025, she will conclude her tenure as Artistic Director, marking a grand celebration of an artistic journey that has left a profound mark on the music scene.
The season opens with a concert at the Gloger Music Festival in Kongsberg Church on Sunday, January 26th. Together with the choir's long-time collaborators, Ensemble Allegria, Oslo Chamber Academy, and soloists, they will perform W. A. Mozart’s Mass in C minor and J. Brahms’ Schicksalslied.
One of the core principles of the Soloists' Choir, since its founding in 1950, has been to perform both classical and modern music with equal precision and passion. Pedersen has continued this tradition throughout her work with the choir.
The spring season features four world premieres. First up is Eivind Buene’s Untitled (Horizons), written for the choir and percussionist Ingar Zach. Mark Rothko’s paintings served as an inspiration for the piece, which is Buene's third composition for the choir. The piece will be performed in Hamar domkirke on Saturday, February 15th, and in the University Aula on Sunday, February 16th, along with Cecilie Ore's Toil and Trouble and two major a cappella works by J. Brahms.
Oslo International Church Music Festival has established itself as a provider of high-quality projects. At this year's festival, the choir will perform the world premiere of Utopian Folk Songs by Rolf Wallin. In the piece, Wallin asks what a choir would sing in a utopia, a trouble-free dream world filled with happiness. The concert will take place in Ris kirke on Friday, March 28th and will also feature music by C. Monteverdi and E. Grieg's Four Hymns.
In April, the choir and Pedersen will travel to Tromsø for their first collaboration with the Arctic Philharmonic. The program includes the world premiere of Memento by Ørjan Matre and F. J. Haydn’s Harmoniemesse. Concerts will be held in Tromsø Cathedral on Thursday, April 10th, and Friday, April 11th.
In May and June, the season culminates with performances at the Bergen International Festival and a mini-festival in Oslo. Pedersen has been appointed Festival Musician for 2025, and together with the choir, she will present two concerts at the festival.
On Thursday, May 29th, a new collaboration between the choir and Emilie Nicolas will be launched in Grieghallen. Here, works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods will meet Nicolas’ musical universe. Baroque instrumentalists of the highest level, along with performers who typically work with artists like Cezinando and Bernhoft, will join on stage.
On Friday, May 30th, the choir will invite the audience to a concert at Korskirken in Bergen, featuring their award-winning interpretations of J. S. Bach's motets. These will be intertwined with music by G. Mahler, Bente L. Thorsen, and H. Lachenmann. The concerts will be repeated in Oslo on Sunday, June 1st, and Tuesday, June 3rd.
Pedersen’s final concert as artistic director has not been announced yet, but it will take place in Oslo on June 5th, featuring highlights from the choir's 75-year history and a world premiere by Rolf Gupta.
The choir’s new artistic director will be announced in mid-March 2025.