Christmas Helseth Tødenes Kråkevik

Christmas classics are to be found in many a format, and this evening’s choices are tailor-made for its performers: folk melodies such as Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker, singalong favourites such as Deilig er Jorden, the age-old melody to Det Hev ei Rose Sprunge, the showpiece O Helga Natt and Felix Mendelssohn’s version of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, are just a small part of what you can look forward to.

Christmas songs will naturally dominate the programme of a Christmas concert, but the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra will also be given the chance to shine during the pre-Christmas season, in performing orchestra pieces by Richard Strauss and Alexander Glazunov. Also the Oslo Philharmonic Choir will have the opportunity to dazzle in the opening chorus from J.S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio; Jauchzet, frohlocket.

The 22 year-old Bror Magnus Tødenes from Eiksund in Sunnmøre has experienced a meteoric development ever since he started classical singing in his first year in high school. After studies with Kåre Bjørkøy in Trondheim and Elisabeth Norberg-Schulz in Rome, he released his critically-acclaimed CD Remembering Jussi in 2014 and in September 2015 won the first prize in the Renata Tebaldi singing competition.

Tine Thing Helseth needs no introduction to Norwegian music enthusiasts. The trumpet soloist from Vålerenga became a household name after she won NRK’s talent competition Virtuos in 2006, and she also won the silver medal in the international final in Vienna. Since then she has established herself as a soloist on the highest level within the international trumpet elite and as the eminent leader for tenThing Brassensemble.

This evening’s conductor Cathrine Winnes studied saxophone and conducting at Norges Musikkhøgskole and Kungliga Musikhøgskolan in Stockholm, and has since conducted many of the symphony orchestras in Norway and the Nordic region. She is today the principal conductor of Östgöta Blåsarsymfoniker in Linköping, Sweden and will enter the same position with Blåsarsymfonikarna in Stockholm next season.

Herbert Kråkevik, one of our most talented stage artists, is the presenter for the night and will also sing with the orchestra.