Knut Reiersrud at Notodden bluesfest 2013

The following is a list of notable events and releases of the year 2013 in

Norwegian music Much has been learned about early music in Norway from physical artifacts found during archaeological digs. These include instruments such as the lur. Viking and medieval sagas also describe musical activity, as do the accounts of priests and ...

Events

January

* 23 Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø (January 23–27). * 25 **

Nordlysfestivalen The Northern Lights Music Festival or Nordlysfestivalen (established 1987 in Tromsø, Norway) is a Norwegian music festival, held in January–February. In 2012 The Northern Lights Festival celebrated their 25th anniversary. Biography Since t ...

started in

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

(January 25 – February 2). **

Nils Anders Mortensen Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name *Nils Elias Anckers (1858–1921), Swedish naval officer *Nils Beckman (1902–1972 ...

(piano) was awarded the

Nordlysprisen (the Northern Lights Prize, established in 1989) is an annual award presented by the newspaper Nordlys during the opening concert at Nordlysfestivalen in Tromsø, Norway. Nordlysprisen is awarded to a performing musician or composer, that through ...

2013 at

. * 31 ** The

Polarjazz Polarjazz or The Polar Jazz Festival (initiated 1998 in Longyearbyen, Svalbard) is the northernmost jazz festival in the world, and is arranged every year in February. Background The 19th Polarjazz festival took place between 3 and 7 February 2 ...

Festival 2013 started in

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen (, , "Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlements, northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000, and the capital and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard. It stretches along the foot of the left bank ( ...

(January 31 – February 7). ** 31 –

Kristiansund Opera Festival Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of K ...

opened (January 31 – February 16).

February

March

* 8 –

Narvik Winter Festival Narvik Winter Festival, in Norwegian just (The Winter Festival Week), is an annual cultural festival with railway history platform in Narvik. It is based on stories, myths and facts from the construction time of the Narvik and Kiruna railway sys ...

started (March 8–17). * 22 – ''

Vossajazz Vossajazz or Vossa Jazz (established 19 December 1973) is an international jazz festival in Voss, Norway, which takes place annually during the week before Easter, and which also includes concerts throughout the year. The festival has been led by ...

'' started in

Voss Municipality Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, ...

(March 22–24). * 23 **

Tore Brunborg Tore Brunborg (born 20 May 1960) is a Norwegians, Norwegian jazz musician and composer who plays saxophone. He was born in Trondheim but grew up in Voss where a jazz environment was flowering. Known from numerous appearances with international g ...

was awarded

prisen 2013 as well as the

Buddyprisen Buddyprisen (established 1956 in Oslo, Norway) is an award, given annually by the Norwegian Jazz Forum to a Norwegian jazz musician that has "been an excellent performer and significantly involved in Norwegian jazz by other means". The award was ...

2012 at Vossajazz. **

Stian Carstensen Stian Carstensen (born 5 January 1971) is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist musician, entertainer and with Jarle Vespestad (drums) and Nils-Olav Johansen (vocal and guitar), central member of the Balkan-jazz orchestra Farmers Market. Biography ...

performed the commissioned work ''Flipp'' for

2013. * 27 –

Inferno Metal Festival Inferno Metal Festival is an annual extreme metal festival that takes place every year during Easter in Oslo, Norway. The festival was founded by Borknagar guitarist Jens F. Ryland in cooperation with Radar Booking in 2001 and takes place at R ...

2014 started in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

(March 27–30).

April

* 24 – SoddJazz 2013 started in

Inderøy Municipality Inderøy is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straumen, Trøn ...

Nord-Trøndelag Nord-Trøndelag (; "North Trøndelag") was a counties of Norway, county constituting the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Sør-Trøndelag ("South Trøndelag") county as well as the county of Nordl ...

(April 24–28).

May

* 22

Festspillene i Bergen Bergen International Festival () is an annual international music and cultural festival in Bergen, Norway. In Spring 2022, Lars Petter Hagen took over as festival director. Biography The Bergen International festival is the largest festival ...

starts (May 22 – June 5) * 22

Nattjazz Bergen International Jazz Festival or Nattjazz, is one of the largest jazz festivals of Norway. The festival has a musical profile with an emphasis on ethnic and jazz, contemporary jazz. It is held annually in late May, coinciding with Festspil ...

starts in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

(May 23 – June 1)

June

* 12 –

Bergenfest Bergenfest (initiated in 1993 under the name OleBlues) is an annual music festival held in the month of June, in Bergen, Norway, at the Bergenhus Fortress. History It started out as an intimate blues and Americana festival, situated at variou ...

2013 started in Bergen (June 12–15). * 13 – Norwegian Wood 2013 started in

(June 13–16).

July

* 3 –

Kongsberg Jazzfestival Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964. Artists Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...

started (July 3 – 6). * 7 –

Lofoten Piano Festival Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. There are two towns, ...

started in

Lofoten Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...

(July 7–12). * 15

Moldejazz Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) or Moldejazz (established 1961 in Molde Municipality) takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club. Since 1 ...

starts in Molde with Jason Moran as artist in residence (July 15–20).

August

* 1 – The 26th

Notodden Blues Festival Notodden Blues Festival (NBF) is one of the largest blues music festivals in Europe and the largest in Scandinavia. The festival is held in Notodden, Norway, usually the first weekend August. It has been running annually since 1988. The festival ...

started in

Notodden is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Aust-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden. Other population centres include the villages of Bolkesjø, G ...

(August 1 – 4). * 12 –

Oslo Jazzfestival Oslo International Jazz Festival (Oslo Jazzfestival, established 1986 in Norway) is a Norwegians, Norwegian music event, held in August, with a focus on music form the jazz genre, performed on stages in Oslo. History The pilot project (1984–1 ...

started in

(August 12–17). * 13 –

Erlend Skomsvoll Erlend Fredrik Skomsvoll (born 12 May 1969) is a Norwegian jazz musician (piano, keyboards, accordion, and tuba), band leader, composer and arranger, known from his own band Skomsork and the band Wibutee with Live Maria Roggen, Madrugada, and ...

was recipient of the Ella-prisen 2013 at the

September

* 5 –

Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival ULTIMA Oslo Contemporary Music Festival is a Norwegian music festival for contemporary music. Background Ultima is Scandinavia's largest contemporary music festival, and since 1991 it has been a key arena for contemporary music and related art ...

2014 starts in

(September 5–14). * 6 –

Punktfestivalen Punkt International Music Festival or Punktfestivalen has been held every year in Kristiansand, Norway since 2005. Biography Punktfestivalen was established by the musicians Jan Bang and Erik Honoré. They have collaborated since 1980, with th ...

started in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

(September 6–8).

October

* 24 – The 12th

Insomnia Festival The Insomnia Festival is an annual electronic music festival which takes place during autumn in Tromsø, Norway. The first festival was held in 2002. Alongside the Numusic festival in Stavanger and Ekkofestival in Bergen, it is the largest and mo ...

started in

(October 24–26). * 25 – The 10th

Ekkofestival The Ekkofestival, Ekko or Ekko - Bergen Electronic Music and Art Festival, is a music festival which takes place in Bergen, Norway in the fall every year. Biography Ekko mainly focus on presenting electronic music and contemporary art, where t ...

started in

(October 25 – November 3). * 29 – The

Oslo World Music Festival Oslo World Music Festival (established in 1994 by the name Verden i Norden in Oslo, Norway) is an annual festival presenting music from all over the world, with a primary focus on Asia, Africa and Latin America. History The festival started as a co ...

started in

(October 29 – November 3).

November

* 13 – The

Vardø Vardo or Vardø may refer to: Places * Vardø Municipality, a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway *Vardø (town) (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative centre of Vard� ...

Blues Festival (Blues i Vintermørket) started (November 13 – 17). * 21 – The 8th Barents Jazz,

International Jazz Festival started (November 21 – 24).

December

* 11 – The

Nobel Peace Prize Concert The Nobel Peace Prize Concert ( Norwegian and Swedish: '')'' has been held annually since 1994 on 11 December to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The award ceremony on 10 December takes place in Oslo City Hall, while the concert has been ...

was held at

Telenor Arena Unity Arena, previously known as Telenor Arena and Fornebu Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located at Fornebu in Bærum, outside Oslo, Norway. It serves as a venue for a variety of events, including concerts, exhibitions, action shows, ...

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unknown date

# F

New Artists

* Monica Heldal received the

Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...

award, as 'Best newcomer of the year 2013', for the album ''Boy From The North'' and was with that also recipient of the Gramo grant.

Deaths

;January * 14 –

Morten Mølster Morten is a common male given name in Denmark and Norway. Approximately 22,138 have this name as a given name in Norway and about 52 people have it as a surname. The origin of the surname is less clear. Notable people with the name include: People ...

, rock guitarist,

The September When The September When is a Norwegian rock band. History The band was formed in Stavanger in 1987, by vocalist Morten Abel, guitarist Tor Øyvind Syvertsen and keyboardist Helge Hummervoll, all former members of the band Mods. They signed a recor ...

(born

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

). * 25 –

Aase Nordmo Løvberg Aase Nordmo Løvberg (10 June 192325 January 2013) was a Norwegian opera singer. ''Dagbladet'' called her "one of Norway's greatest opera singers." For many years she sang with Jussi Björling, and she also sang under renowned conductors such as H ...

, opera singer (born

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

). ;February * 1 –

Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe (10 December 1926 – 1 February 2013) was a Norwegian musicologist, composer, music critic and biographer. He was a lecturer at the University of Oslo for thirty years, from 1973 with the title of professor. His research main ...

, musicologist, contemporary classical composer, music critic and biographer (born

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

). * 5 –

Egil Hovland Egil Hovland (October 18, 1924 – February 5, 2013) was a Norwegian composer. Hovland was born in Råde. He studied at the Oslo conservatory with Arild Sandvold and Bjarne Brustad, in Copenhagen with Vagn Holmboe, at Tanglewood with Aaron ...

, contemporary classical composer (born

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

). * 8 –

Knut Nesbø Knut Nesbø (26 April 1961 – 8 February 2013) was a Norwegian sports reporter with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.Di Derre Di Derre is a Norwegian Pop rock band, founded in 1992. They were awarded the Gammleng-prisen in 1996. Band members *Jo Nesbø Jon "Jo" Nesbø (; born 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian novelist and musician. His books had sold over 50 million c ...

(born

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

). ;March * 18 –

Eivind Rølles Eivind Rølles (15 March 1959 Bestum in Oslo — 18 March 2013) was a Norwegian musician (guitar) best known for his time with pop duo The Monroes. prior to this, he was a member of the bands Broadway News and PVC. Biography Rølles was reper ...

, guitarist and pop singer, The Monroes, cancer (born

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

). ;April * 17 –

Yngve Moe Yngve Moe (4 October 1957 – 17 April 2013) was a Norwegian bass guitarist and founding member of the rock band Dance with a Stranger. Career He started his career in the band Erter, Kjøtt og Flesk (1971–1975), in his home town of Troms� ...

, jazz and rock bass guitarist,

Dance with a Stranger ''Dance with a Stranger'' is a 1985 British film directed by Mike Newell (director), Mike Newell. Telling the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain (1955), the film won critical acclaim, and aided the careers of two of its ...

, fell in coma, after drowning in

Tenerife, Spain Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of April 2025, it is the most populou ...

(born

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

). ; May * 19 – Anders Vangen, operatic singer (born

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

). ;July * 1 –

Rolf Graf Rolf Graf (19 August 1932 - 18 January 2019) was a Swiss professional road bicycle racer. Rolf Graf was a protégé of the Swiss cyclist Ferdinand Kübler. He competed in the individual and team road race events at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He ...

, jazz-rock bass guitarist,

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

, cancer (born

). * 29 –

Ole Henrik Moe Ole Henrik Moe (11 January 1920 – 29 July 2013) was a Norwegian pianist, art historian and art critic. He was born in Lillehammer, and is the brother of archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad. During World War II he was a member of the intelligen ...

, classical pianist, art historian and critic (born

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

). ;August * 18 –

Rolv Wesenlund Rolv Helge Wesenlund (17 September 1936 – 18 August 2013) was a Norway, Norwegian comedian, singer, clarinetist, writer and actor. Biography Wesenlund was most known for having portrayed the title character in the musical Bør Børson Jr. (m ...

, comedian, singer, jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, writer, and actor (born

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

). * 29 –

Kjell Lund Kjell Lund (18 June 1927 – 17 August 2013) was a Norwegian architect, songwriter and singer. Lund cooperated with Nils Slaatto for many years. Personal life Lund was born in Lillehammer as a son of civil servant Arve Johan Lund and Margit ...

, architect, songwriter and singer (born

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

). ;September * 17 –

Alex Naumik Alexandra Naumik (formerly Alexandra Sandøy; 12 August 1949 – 17 September 2013), better known by her stage name Alex, was a Lithuanian-born, Polish-Norwegian rock and pop artist who rose to fame in the late 1970s. Biography Naumik was bo ...

, Lithuanian-born artist, songwriter and record producer (born

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

). * 24 –

Sverre Bruland Sverre Tonning Olsen Bruland (2 February 1923, Stavanger – 24 September 2013) was a Norwegian trumpet player and conductor. He was born in Stavanger. He studied with Per Steenberg, Karl Andersen, Odd Grüner-Hegge, Igor Markevitch, Paul van ...

, classical conductor and trumpeter (born

). * 26 – Arnstein Johansen, accordionist (born

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

). ;October * 2 –

Kaare Ørnung Kaare Alexander Ørnung (26 January 1931 – 2 October 2013) was a Norwegian pianist and music teacher. Biography Ørnung was born on 26 January 1931 in Oslo. He made his debut in 1952, worked at the Veitvet Music Academy between 1959 and 1973, ...

, classical pianist, entertainer and music teacher (born

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

). * 19 – Lage Fosheim, pop singer, The Monroes, cancer (born

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2013 In Norwegian Music Music of Norway Norwegian

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

2010s in Norwegian music

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unknown date

New Artists

Deaths

See also

References