VOeX 2019
For the first time, The Norwegian Opera & Ballet presents the VOeX festival (Various Operatic eXperiments)! From Friday 24th to Monday 27th of May we invite you to exciting performances, discussions and lectures about various operatic experiments––and in particular about The Voice, which is the theme of this year's festival. You will find links to more information and tickets to the performances below. Most of the lectures and conversations are free and open to everyone.
Friday 24. May
06:00–06:45 pm Opening:
Annilese Miskimmon (Artistic Director of Opera) about the project VOeX. Introduction to the concert Sirens and to women's voices in music, by Nina Sun Eidsheim (Professor of Musicology, UCLA) in dialogue with Hedda Høgåsen-Hallesby (dramaturg)
In English and Norwegian. Free entrance.
07:00–08:15 pm Concert
08:15–09:00 pm After-talk
With Helmut Krausser (composer), Julian Lembke (composer), Martin Wettges (conductor), Hilde Andersen (director) and Hedda Høgåsen-Hallesby (dramaturg)
In English
Saturday 25. May
12:00–12: 45 pm Introduction
Weisse Rose and Udo Zimmermann's music, by Dieter Kaegi, (Intendant, Theater Orchestra Biel Solothurn) and Peter Edwards (Head of Department of Musicology, UiO)
In English
01:00–02:15 pm Performance:
02:30–03:30 pm Panel:
Composing in dialogue with singers. With Synne Skouen (composer), Rolf Wallin (composer), Eli Kristin Hanssveen (soprano) and Silje Aker Johnsen (soprano)
In Norwegian
04:00–05:00 pm Panel:
What is good new opera in 2019? With Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen (director of Ultima), Mary Miller (Artistic Director, Bergen National Opera), Randi Stene (Artistic Director, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera), Kate Molleson (Music Journalist at BBC Radio 3, The Guardian and The Herald) and Annilese Miskimmon (Artistic Director of Opera, DNO&B)
In English
07:00–08:10 pm Performance:
The Little Match Girl Passion, including introduction by Kate Molleson, music journalist for BBC Radio 3, The Guardian and The Herald
Sunday 26. May
02:00–03:10 pm Performance:
Little Match Girl Passion, including a conversation about children's voices with Edle Stray-Pedersen (head of The Norwegian National Opera's Children's Chorus), Marianne Willumsen Lewis (coach for the Children's Chours), Aksel Rykkvin (baritone), chaired by Siri Lindstad (journalist).
In Norwegian
03:30–04:30 pm Panel:
Good Voice Health. With Naja Månsson (singer and voice masseur), John Lidal (pianist and song coach), Ragnhild Motzfeldt (Opera singer and outreacher)
In Norwegian
06:00–06:45 pm Introduction:
Weisse Rose, by Francis Benichou (conductor) and Peter Normann Waage (author of the book Long Live Freedom! Traute Lafrenz and the White Rose).
In English and Norwegian
07:00–08:10 pm Performance: Weisse Rose
Monday 27 May
12:00–04:00 pm Half-day seminar on voices:
In collaboration with the University of Oslo:
What exactly is a voice? How has the voice been used in various musical styles and expressions throughout history? How is the human voice used in new technologies today? What effect does the human voice have on us?
The seminar is free and open to all! In English
Participants:
- Nina Sun Eidsheim, Professor Musicology, UCLA and author of Sensing Sound: singing and listening as vibrational practice.
- David Levin, Professor Performance Studies, University of Chicago
- Stan Hawkins, Professor Popular, Music Studies, Department of Musicology, UiO
- Nanette Nielsen, Associate Professor, Opera Studies, Department of Musicology, UiO
- Catherine Anne Bradley, Associate Professor, Medieval Studies, Department of Musicology, UiO
- Alexander Refsum Jensenius, Associate Professor, Music Technology, Department of Musicology, UiO
- Thomas Schubert, Professor, Psychology, UiO
- Sagar Sen, Senior Research Scientist, Software Engineering, Simula Research Laboratory
- Espen Systad, Technologist and CoFounder of @CapsuleFm, a startup exploring the emerging practice of personalized radio, a specialist on the use of human voices in new media
- Lydia Hoen Tjore, Soprano, The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet
- Hedda Høgåsen-Hallesby, Dramaturg, The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet
About VOeX
VOeX (Various Operatic eXperiments) is the most recent opera project being carried out by the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, aimed at promoting new opera productions. The project has two main components: an annual festival and the development of new works. The festival will have a different theme each year and present interesting guest performances and own productions of new musical dramas.