Prize-winning recordings and talent development through a long-standing partnership

Music & Culture

Oct 1

Through the years, Grieg Foundation has been a very important and committed partner for the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Its support and collaboration have had a major impact, and still has, not only for the orchestra’s wellbeing and functioning, but also for the cultural city of Bergen, nationally and internationally.

The Foundation’s support for the bi-annual Young Artists Concert (De Unges Konsert) is a vital contribution to the development of young talent locally and nationally, while the orchestra’s many recordings contribute to the orchestra’s strong international profile and status. For our cultural life in Bergen, for our audience and our international reputation, it is also necessary that we are capable of arranging those unique projects which demand greater resources.

Prizewinning Recordings

Grieg Foundation, and in the beginning, the founder of Grieg Foundation, Per Grieg Sr., has been a faithful and vital sponsor of the orchestra since 1988. After the Foundations establishment in 2002, all the support from Grieg, came through Grieg Foundation. From the start, the support from the Foundation was directed towards recording projects. The orchestra signed at that time a contract with the internationally recognized Virgin Classics. One of the first releases, Piano Concertos by Grieg and Liszt with Leif Ove Andsnes, won a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen). That was the first of many successful recording projects.

This marked the start of new adventures in the form of contracts with international recording companies and new releases. There are so many projects to be proud of, but to mention a few - a collection of Edvard Grieg complete orchestral music, which got rave reviews, and Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes which was awarded Gramophone Opera Recording of the Year 2021 and Recording of the Year 2021.

On average, the orchestra has recorded and released three to four recordings per year on internationally acclaimed recording companies, like BIS, Hyperion, Lawo and Chandos. Most of these recordings are also available on streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify.

This adventure would not have been possible without generous support from Grieg Foundation. Our releases have been conclusive contributions to building our strong international profile and image.

Talent development – Young Artists Concert

From 2023 Grieg Foundation has been supporting Norway’s oldest talent show – Young Artists Concert (De Unges Konsert) which was established as early as in 1938. The concert is arranged every two years, and the lucky five young soloists who get to play with the orchestra must qualify through a though audition. There is a huge interest in participating in the concert, and only the best candidates are accepted. All five soloists receive a generous scholarship from the Grieg Foundation.

Young Artists Concert has a strong position in Norway, and many of our famous soloists have participated. The five young soloists are given a rare and unique opportunity to play with a professional symphony Orchestra in front of a big audience. The next concert takes place in Grieghallen spring 2027.

Topp component

Every concert season needs a few signal projects which create attention, and which strengthen the particular profile of the season. Such projects are costly and need to be planned a long time in advance. We are grateful to the Grieg Foundation for giving us the financial muscle we need to be able to arrange these projects, which contribute to strengthening not only the orchestra’s image, but the cultural city of Bergen, nationally and internationally.

In 2025 this generous support made it possible to arrange two concerts and a recording with one of the absolute highlights of the French romantic era – Hector Berlioz’ dramatic symphony, Romeo and Juliet, with soloists, choirs and a big orchestra. In December we are lucky to welcome conductor Francois-Xavier Roth to conduct Gustav Mahler’s great Symphony No. 9. Our Musician in Residence, Isabelle Faust, will at the same concert perform Ondrei Adameks Violin Concerto.