Singers and instrumentalists aged 18-30 have worked intensely, guided by their coaches, at the first ever Summer Academy "Opera at the fjord" 16.-21. August 2021, and are now prepared to present it all to the audience. Four different conductors will also enter the podium: Our new Artistic Director Eivind Gullberg Jensen opens the show, followed by the two young conductor talents - and Sascha Goetzel from Vienna.

Excerpts from several of the most beloved operas, like Bizet's Carmen and Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss are on the programme, as well as funny - and also tearful - Italian arias by Bellini, Rossini and Puccini.

Together with the Austrian conductor Sascha Goetzel the academists are also inviting us to the musical world of W. A. Mozart, with the finale from act 2 of Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) and also highlights from Don Giovanni and Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario).

For the whole concert programme, please see below.

FOUNDERS AND CONDUCTORS
Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Artistic Director Bergen National Opera and conductor
Sascha Goetzel, conductor from Vienna

VOCAL COACHES
Solveig Kringlebotn, soprano and professor at the Academy of Opera in Oslo (Operahøgskolen) and Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo
Kristin Okerlund, pianist and vocal coach from the Wiener Staatsoper

CONDUCTOR STUDENTS
Guro Haugli
Andreas Hansson

SINGERS
soprano
Eldrid Gorset
Eirin Rognerud
Eva Langeland Gjerde
Violetta Peschanskaya

mezzo-soprano
Wilma Kvamme

baritone
Markus Bjørlykke
Filip Natanael Håkestad
Sakarias Fredriksen Tranvåg

bass-baritone
Filip Eshetu Steinland
Jørgen Magnus Haslum

THE ACADEMY ORCHESTRA
(in italics: teachers/section leaders)

violin 1
Anders K. Nilsson, 1st concertmaster, Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra (Kungliga Hovkapellet) in Stockholm
Kelly Sohyoung Lee
Freja Julie Eskildsen
Lotte Hestad

violin 2
Madelene Berg, principal 2nd violin, The Norwegian Opera & Ballet
Will Crock
Lea von Hofacker
Olga Larsson

viola
Aine Suzuki, solo viola, The Norwegian Opera & Ballet
Audun Klaveness
Mitra Fagerli Rahman

cello
Audun Sandvik, cello, The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and professor at the Univ. of Tromsø
Nora Dahl Nilsen

double bass
Patrick Wilder, co-principal double bass, The Norwegian Opera & Ballet
Anders Rove

oboe
Steffen Blindheim, oboe, Malmö Symphony Orchestra

flute
Sigrid Birkeland Djønne

clarinet
Gracia Ortega Navarro

bassoon
Paula Richter

horn
Rune Brodahl, solo horn, The Norwegian Opera & Ballet, and teacher at Barratt Due Institute of Music)
Selma Louise Ringdal

trompet
Mari Røttereng

timpani and percussion
Manuel Hofstätter, timpani, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

piano
Kristin Okerlund

CONCERT PROGRAMME:

Eivind Gullberg Jensen (conductor 1st part) 
Sascha Goetzel (conductor 2nd part) 
 
George Bizet
 from  Carmen:
   
Prelude
The Academy Orchestra 
 
Seguidilla  
Wilma Kvamme (Carmen)  
 
Quintet
Violetta Peschanskaya (Frasquita)   
Eirin  Rognerud (Mercedes) 
Wilma  Kvamme (Carmen) 
Markus  Bjørlykke (Dancaïre) 
Filip Natanael Håkestad  (Remendado) 
 
Sergei  Rachmaninoff
from 12  Romances, Op. 21, No 7:  
 
Здесь хорошо (Zdes′ khorosho – How beautiful is it here) 
Violetta  Peschanskaya 

Orchestrated by Francis Griffin

Gioachino  Rossini 
from Il  barbiere di Siviglia – The Barber of Seville:

La calunnia è un venticello (Aria) 
Filip Eshetu Steinland (Don Basilio) 
 
Largo al factotum (Cavatina) 
Filip Natanael Håkestad (Figaro) 
 
Conductor, Rossini: Guro Haugli 
 
Vincenzo Bellini
 from  I  Capuleti e i Montecchi: 
 
Oh! Quante volte 
Eldrid Gorset (Guiletta) 
 
Vincenzo  Bellini 
from La  Sonnambula – The Sleepwalker:

Ah! Non giunge 
Eirin Rognerud (Amina) 
 
Conductor, Bellini: Andreas Hansson 
 
Giacomo Puccini
 from La  bohème:   

Donde lieta usci 
Eva Langeland Gjerde (Mimì) 
 
Giacomo Puccini
 from Tosca: 
 
E lucevan le stelle 
Markus Bjørlykke (Cavaradossi)  
 
Richard Strauss
 from Der  Rosenkavalier: 
 
Introduction
The Academy Orchestra
 
Trio 
Eva Langeland Gjerde (The Marschalinn) 
Eirin Rognerud (Sophie)  
Wilma  Kvamme (Octavian)     

INTERMISSION  20 min.  
 
W. A. Mozart 
from Don Giovanni:
   
Deh, vieni alla finestra (Canzonetta) 
Sakarias  Fredriksen Tranvåg (Don Giovanni)   

Là ci darem la mano (Duettino) 
Eldrid Gorset (Zerlina) & Sakarias Fredriksen Tranvåg (Don Giovanni) 

 
W. A. Mozart 
from Der Schauspieldirektor – The Impresario:
 
Ich bin die erste Sängerin (Trio)  
Eirin  Rognerud (Madame Herz) 
Violetta  Peschanskaya (Mademoiselle Silberklang) 
Markus  Bjørlykke (Monsieur Vogelsang)    
 
W. A. Mozart 
from Il nozze di Figaro – The Marriage of Figaro:
 
Bravo, signor padrone! Se vuol ballare (Cavatina) 
Jørgen Magnus Haslum (Figaro) 
 
Finale Act 2
Eldrid Gorset (Susanna) 
Eva Langeland Gjerde (Countess Almaviva) 
Wilma Kvamme (Marcellina) 
Markus Bjørlykke (Basilio) 
Jørgen Magnus Haslum (Figaro) 
Filip Natanael Håkestad (Antonio) 
Filip Eshetu Steinland (Bartolo) 
Sakarias Fredriksen Tranvåg (Count Almaviva) 

   
The summer academy is presented by Bergen National Opera in collaboration with Oseana kunst- og kultursenter and supported by the Grieg Foundation and Sparebankstiftelsen DNB.