Empowering Young Singers – A Legacy Secured
On December 22nd, 2024, in Johanneskirken Bergen, all of the choirs in the Edvard Grieg Korene family were assembled for our 12th Annual Christmas concert. This is always a special occasion and is the only performance of the year when all of the choirs, including the professional ensemble, Edvard Grieg Vokalensemble, rehearse and perform together.
This year was particularly poignant, because at the beginning of 2024 the Edvard Grieg Choral Foundation (Stiftelsen Edvard Grieg Korene) had been faced with the very real and imminent reality that our innovative and successful Educational and Development program for Young Singers would have to be severely reduced from 2025 onwards.
This would almost certainly have meant that the Christmas concert in December 2024 would be the last time all of the choirs met and performed together as one organization.
Johanneskirken was full to capacity with an ever increasing and enthusiastic audience to hear the 215 young singers aged between 6 and 26 perform their individual programmes during the concert and finally joining together with Edvard Grieg Vokalensemble to perform a work specially written for all of the choirs in the organization.
Happily, The Edvard Grieg Choral Foundation’s new collaboration with Grieg Foundation for the next three years has secured the continuation of this important cultural resource in Bergen until the end of 2027.
We already know that the annual Christmas concert in 2025 will be performed twice on the same day in order to accommodate the hundreds of audience members wishing to attend, and we are looking very much forward to our 13th annual Christmas concert(s) on the 21st December 2025!
In January 2025, all 7 of our choirs returned to their regular weekly rehearsal schedule with a full and exciting programme ahead of them for the whole year.
The first performance of 2025 was on the 1st of February when the EGK children’s choirs took part in the highly anticipated Sangskatten concerts. After a sold-out performance in August 2023, our collaborative partner, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra further developed the project in 2025 to include two extremely well-attended concerts in Grieghallen.
This innovative “Sing-along concert” concept was originally developed by Arktisk Filharmoni AS, and has been adapted by Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. The hour-long program consists of new arrangements of well-known Norwegian children’s songs from the last hundred years, performed by 450 children and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Edvard Grieg Youth Choir
During the last two years The Edvard Grieg Choral Foundation has allocated extra resources to further developing the youth choir, which was originally conceived as a project choir in 2013.
Since 2023 the youth choir has rehearsed every week of the school year and has its own series of concerts in 2025 which include an annual summer academy with the professional ensemble, Edvard Grieg Vokalensemble, a spring concert and autumn concert, and numerous special projects including performances with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and in September a concert with Edvard Grieg Kor conducted by Barnaby Smith, the Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble VOCES8.
The youth choir began their busy schedule with their annual Spring concert in St Markus Kirke, Bergen on March 23rd. The choir which has now expanded to 27 members has significantly gained in confidence, reputation and artistic level since the implementation of weekly rehearsals and their spring concert firmly laid the foundations for what will be a wonderful year of music making in 2025.
On the 6th April, our six children’s choirs held their own Annual Spring concert at Storetveit Kirke. With 188 young singers aged 6 to 16 performing a vast array of classical works including Gregorian chant, Mozart and Grieg and culminating in a larger scale work for all six choirs singing together to a packed audience.
Den Nationale Scene
DNS’s innovative production of Sofokles’ Antigone at Bergen Kjøtt also marks the Edvard Grieg Choral Foundation’s first collaboration with DNS. Three young boys from Edvard Grieg Boys choir are performing as soloists alongside the professional actors in this long run of performances throughout April and May. This is extremely valuable experience for these very young singers who are able to work at the highest level alongside their distinguished and experienced colleagues. This is a unique opportunity for the boys and one which they will never forget!
Who: Stiftelsen Edvard Grieg Korene
What: Edvard Grieg Korene Barn og Unge Korpyramide Utviklingsprogram
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