Giving young musicians a stage
RISING STARS. Many young artists performed at the Festival, such as these talented dancers at the Youth Festival day. Photo: Thor Brødreskift
Who: Boreas Ensemble at he Festival Square at the Bergen International Festival (Festspillene i Bergen)
What: Music and activities in the heart of Bergen, Norway
‘It feels like everybody in Bergen comes together to celebrate culture during the Bergen International Festival. It is truly great to be part of’, says pianist Marie Heddan Kortner.
The young musician plays in the trio Boreas, who held their very first outdoor concert at the Festival square during the 2024 Bergen International Festival.
2024 marks the 50-year anniversary of the Bergen International Festival Drop-in Concerts, where music students from the renowned Grieg Academy perform daily concerts at the Grieghallen foyer. To celebrate the anniversary, two young ensembles were invited to perform on the outdoor stage at the Festival square, which is made possible by the Grieg Foundation.
‘It is a great honor to be allowed to perform at the Festival. As a student, I have played almost every year at the Drop-in Concerts, and performing at Torgallmenningen, in the middle of the city, is a great chance to become part of the larger festival programme. Professionally, it is a huge opportunity’, pianist Kortner said in an interview with the local radio station NRK P1 Hordaland.
Ensemble Boreas consists of Kortner, Johanna Saaek on cello and Sergio Llorente Gutierrez on the violin. The trio are all classmates and in the same master’s programme, and have ambitions of pursuing music professionally as their studies are coming to an end. Performing for an outdoor crowd under their own name at the festival is a big stepping-stone in making that happen, they explain.
CELEBRATION. the organization Fargespill invited to a celebration of Bergen at their colourful celebrations at the Festival Square. Photo: Thor Brødreskift
A diverse audience
As the concert starts, a crowd forms in front of the stage. A kindergarten is out on a walk, and the smaller children begin dancing and swaying to the music.
The programme is by Norwegian composers such as Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) and Harald Sæverud (1897–1996).
‘We wanted to play something local. We expected there to be some tourists in the audience and wanted them to get a chance to hear music such as the Holberg Suite by Grieg as they walk around the city centre. We also wanted the music to be easy listening, like Dmitri Shostakovich’, cellist Saaek explains.
Though the trio worried about the weather and city noises drowning the music, the experience of playing at the Festival square far exceeded their expectations.
‘I only got good vibes from the audience. They all seemed happy and there were kids running around and enjoying themselves. Even though it was raining, people decided to stay, listen, and applaud,’ says Saaek.
The cellist was positively surprised by how diverse the audience was.
‘It really stuck out to me. I love that anyone can stop by. I think the Festival square is more accessible than regular classical concerts. It’s fun to see people pause and listen because they get curious about the music and the crowd’.
Violinist Gutierrez agrees:
‘At an outdoor concert like this, the audience is a bit more in motion – it has its own magic’.
YOUNG ENSEMBLES. The ensemble Boreas with Sergio Llorente Gutierrez (from left), Marie Heddan Kortner and Johanna Saaek, was the first of two young student ensembles invited to have their own concert at the Festival square. Photo: Thor Brødreskift
Giving back to Bergen
The day before Ensemble Boreas’ concert, two of Norway’s most critically acclaimed pianists Håvard Gimse and Christian Ihle Hadland performed on the same stage.
‘It's wonderful that I, although I am not originally from Norway, still can contribute and give something to the Bergen music scene. It’s a very beautiful and symbolic thing for me to be invited to play here at the festival’, says Johanna Saaek.
Saaek and Gutierrez moved to Bergen from Sweden and Spain respectively to study at the Grieg Academy. They were familiar with the Bergen International Festival before coming to Norway.
‘The Festival presents well-known artists, I often see musicians that I am following on social media commenting they are coming to play at the Bergen International Festival’, says Gutierrez.
The free stage at the Festival square gives many young talents an opportunity to perform at the Festival. In addition to the two young ensembles, young performers were a part of events such as the Møhlenpris school band, Fargespill 20 years, Youth Festival day and Bergen Children’s Choir Festival. These performances and the rest of the programme at the Festival Square, are free and open to anyone – all made possible thanks to the Grieg Foundation.
RAIN OR SHINE. Despite some showers, the tunes of Grieg and Sæverud drew people to the concert. Photo: Thor Brødreskift
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