Norwegian Chamber Orchestra & Terje Tønnesen
Biographie Norwegian Chamber Orchestra & Terje Tønnesen
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
Since its formation in 1977, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra has established itself as one of the foremost chamber orchestras on the international classical music scene. Renowned for its refined sound and innovative approach to concert presentation, the NCO is made up of Norway’s finest instrumentalists including its 26 core members who work together as a collective, thereby developing its distinctive performing style and dynamic culture.
With the inspirational artistic director Pekka Kuusisto at the helm, the NCO continues to push the boundaries of play-directed performance to new heights. The Orchestra's founder Terje Tønnesen served as artistic director of the NCO since its inception until August 2021 when he was succeeded by Kuusisto and became leader laureate in recognition of his visionary leadership and impact on the Orchestra during his 44 year-long tenure. The Orchestra has also explored artistic partnerships with guest directors and leaders including Iona Brown, Leif Ove Andsnes, Martin Fröst, Steven Isserlis, Anthony Marwood, François Leleux, Pekka Kuusisto and Lorenza Borrani.
Sharing the transformative power of music with audiences has always been at the heart of the NCO, by delivering exceptional musical performances with a strong commitment to renew the classical concert format. Recent flagship projects include memorized performance of Grieg’s Holberg Suite with choreography, Janáček’s Kretuzer Sonata with the dramatic readings
from Tolstoy’s novella of the same name and Gates of Hell, a musical exhibition with the performance of Strauss’ Metamorphosen by heart.
In addition to its core repertoire of symphonic and chamber orchestral works, the NCO is dedicated to bringing new music closer to the wider audience. Recent seasons have featured commissioned works by composers including Nico Muhly, Julian Anderson, Bent Sørensen, Bryce Dessner, Olav Anton Thommessen and Synne Skouen.
As essential part of Norway’s cultural landscape, the NCO currently presents concert series at the University Aula and Sentralen in Oslo and regularly performs in venues across the country. The orchestra’s international tours to Europe, Asia and North America have received outstanding reviews at many of the world’s prestigious concert halls and festivals.
Terje Tønnesen
is one of Norway’s most revered musicians, with a career spanning over forty years of music-making as violinist and artistic leader. Praised by public and press alike for his virtuosity and artistic individualism, Terje Tønnensen has established a firm place in the Nordic classical music scene through his position as Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (1977 - august 2021) and concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (1983 - 2019). He held the same position with the Camerata Nordica in Sweden for two decades until 2016.
After his critically acclaimed debut in 1972 which Norway’s major newspaper called “a dazzling debut without any parallel”, he furthered his studies with Max Rostal in Switzerland. In 1977, he was appointed Artistic Director to the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, a position he shared with Iona Brown in 1981-2002. Tønnesen has also maintained a distinguished career as a soloist by making regular appearances with major orchestras in Scandinavian countries as well as making extensive tours to various parts of Europe, USA, China and Russia.
His recordings as the orchestra’s leader have received considerable critical acclaim and have received awards including the Spellemann Prize. Tønnesen has also done a number of recordings as soloist and chamber musician, and recorded several works commissioned for him.
In recent years Tønnesen has composed music for several theatre productions and devoted his time to arranging various chamber and orchestral works. A passionate advocate for finding new ways of presenting classical music, Tønnesen has collaborated with colleagues from across various art forms, including American stage director Bud Beyer and choreographer Ingun Bjørnsgaard.
Terje Tønnesen has won several international awards and recognition such as the Grieg Prize and Lindeman Prize. In September 2015, Terje Tønnesen was appointed Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. He performs on a 1756 Guadagnini lent to him by Dextra Musica, Sparebankstiftelsen.
