Eldbjørg Hemsing

Eldbjørg Hemsing
Born 16 February 1990
Valdres, Oppland
Origin Norway
Genres Classical music
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Hardingfele, violin, vocals
Years active 1996 - present
Labels Simax, Chandos
Website www.eldbjorghemsing.com

Eldbjørg Hemsing (born 16 February 1990 in Nord-Aurdal, Norway) is a Norwegian violinist and the younger sister of the violinist Ragnhild Hemsing. She won First Prize in the Sparre Olsen Competition in 1999, First Prize in the 2000 Norwegian Youth String Competition and First Prize in the Norwegian Youth String Competition and the Sparre Olsen Competition in 2000 and second prize in the 2001 Kocian International Violin Competition.[1]

Biography

Hemsing is regarded as one of Norway’s most promising young artists, captivating audiences and critics alike with her performances and prompting Aftenposten in Norway to describe a performance of Bach’s Chaconne as being performed ‘with extraordinary musical authority and intensity’.[2]

Hemsing has already performed with many of Norway’s leading orchestras including the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra with Josep Caballe-Domenech, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra with Alan Buribayev, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra with Peter Szilvay and the Oslo Camerata. Abroad she has appeared with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra/Alan Buribayev, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Jyvaskyla Sinfonia in Finland, the Czech Chamber Orchestra of Pardubice, the Ashland Symphony Orchestra in the USA, as well as making several appearances with the Ukrainian National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Future engagements will include her debut with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, an eight date Spanish tour with the Oslo Camerata, concerts with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra a tour of Norway with the newly formed North of Norway Symphony Orchestra and performances with the Trondheim Soloists and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra in the Far East. Hemsing is also in demand as a festival artist with appearances in recent years at the Bergen International Festival, the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, the Bad Kissingen Festival in Germany, Nordlys Festival in Tromsø, and the Elverum Festival amongst others.

As a recitalist Eldbjørg has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, the Verbier Festival, at the Stavanger Chamber Music Festival and at AlpenKlassik in Germany. In 2008 she opened the Bergen International Festival, performed Bach with Bobby McFerrin and Arve Tellefsen at the Olavsfestdagene Festival in Trondheim and gave a series of concerts at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival.

Hemsing has received many national and international prizes, and is continually praised for her ability to connect with the audience. In 2006 she won ’Musician of the Year’ in Norway’s Young Musician Competition, and that same year was awarded the Audience Prize at the Verbier Festival. Eldbjørg won 1st Prize and Audience Prize in the Virtuos Competition in Norway and subsequently represented Norway in the ’Young Musicians 2008’ final in Vienna, where she was a prize winner and received the audience prize after receiving the most votes from viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She is the current recipient of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra’s prize for Promising Young Artists.[1]

Hemsing is a versatile musician, equally at home performing folk music on the Hardanger Fiddle as classical music. She often performs in chamber groups with such artists as Håvard Gimse and Patrick Gallois, and has appeared at the Verbier Academy and Seiji Ozawa’s Academy in Switzerland. She also performs in a duo partnership with her sister Ragnhild. Eldbjørg is also well known in Norway through her radio and television appearances and has performed during State visits for the King of Norway.

Hemsing was born in Valdres in Norway in 1990 and started to play the violin at the age of five. At the age of seven she was accepted into the prestigious Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo where she received lessons from Alf Richard Kraggerud and Stephan Barratt-Due. She is currently taking lessons in Vienna from Prof. Boris Kuschnir.

Hemsing is also very interested in fashion and has worked closely with several Norwegian designers. Her latest collaboration is with the young Norwegian designer, Nina Skarra, on some concert dresses.

Hemsing plays a GB Guadagnini violin from 1754 kindly on loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation.[2]

Discography

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Recent Meadowmount Alumni Accomplishments". Meadowmount School of Music. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Eldbjørg Hemsing". Biography (in Norwegian). Sparebankstiftelsen.no. Retrieved 2015-01-01.

External links