Concerts Norway

Norway's National Conserts and Theater Building

Concerts Norway (Norwegian: Rikskonsertene) was established in 1967 on the initiative of the Arts Council Norway (Nor: Norsk kulturråd), with the main purpose described as follows: "Concerts Norway should do living music of high artistic quality accessible to all people in the country." The organization had its opening concert in Hammerfest school on January 4, 1968, with artists like Liv Glaser, Eva Knardahl, Kjell Bækkelund, Robert Levin, Arve Tellefsen and Aase Nordmo Løvberg.

It is currently under the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs, and still have that responsibility to make diverse music and culture, but in more varied forms than the original, available for the entire country. Concerts Norway engage 800 artists annually through over 9000 concerts in all the country's 433 municipalities (2005), both for schools and kindergartens.

In recent years Concerts Norway has increasingly opened up to other arenas, and preferred concerts are open to the public elsewhere, such as the Oslo World Music Festival and "P3sessions" in cooperation with the radio channel P3. Concerts Norway also work with the Alarm Award (Nor: Alarmprisen) for the annual Tour Price. In recent years they have worked to promote new young artists, both within jazz and classical.

The Director position is at six-year terms, and was in two fixed-term periods occupied by Einar Solbu, followed in 2006 by Åse Kleveland. The administration consists of approximately 50 employees, with Nina Badendyck as board leader. Helge Skansen is responsible for live concerts, complementary presented by Geir Salvesen with special responsibility for live concerts for children. Veslemøy Rysstad is responsible for the information division.

Concerts Norway is also responsible for having established the project of school concerts called Klangrikt Fellesskap in the 1990s.

External links

• Concerts Norway's website (In Norwegian)