Eldbjørg Hemsing (born 16 February 1990) is a Norwegian violinist known for her interpretations of both classical and contemporary repertoire. She has premiered numerous works by composers such as

Tan Dun Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a pairing which has shaped much of his life and mu ...

and

Anders Hillborg Per Anders Hillborg (born 31 May 1954) is one of Sweden’s leading composers. Education Anders Hillborg was born in Sollentuna, and studied composition, counterpoint and electronic music at the Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm from 1976 t ...

and has performed at international venues, including the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

Ceremony and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. Hemsing has released several recordings and is involved in initiatives promoting classical music to broader audiences. She is the younger sister of the Norwegian violinist

Ragnhild Hemsing Ragnhild Hemsing (born 15 February 1988 in Valdres, Norway) is a Norwegian classical violinist and the older sister of classical violinist, Eldbjørg Hemsing. Biography Ragnhild Hemsing was born on 15 February 1988, in Valdres, Norway. She ...

Early life and education

Born in Valdres, Norway, Hemsing began playing the violin at the age of five. Her mother, Bente Hemsing, was also a violinist and became her first teacher. Hemsing performed for the

Norwegian royal family Members of the Norwegian royal family are people related to King Harald V of Norway or former Norwegian monarchs who are royals and who hold royal titles. The term does not include non-royal relatives. The current family who holds the throne a ...

by the age of six. At seven-years-old, she was accepted into the

Barratt Due Institute of Music The Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, Norway, is a music education institute founded in 1927 by pianist Mary Barratt Due and violinist Henrik Adam Due. It is situated in Fagerborg in Oslo and is a private foundation which receives governme ...

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 ...

, where she studied under and Stephan Barratt-Due. She later trained with Professor

Boris Kuschnir Boris Kuschnir (born 1948) is a Soviet Austrian violinist Background and early life Born in Kiev in 1948, he studied violin with at the Moscow Conservatoire and chamber music with Valentin Berlinsky of the Borodin Quartet. Career His many encou ...

. In 2012, she performed at 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 ...

in Oslo.

Career

Hemsing has performed with orchestras such as the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic () is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 1871, and was esta ...

Vienna Symphony The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikverein and at the Theater an der Wien. History ...

MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony ...

, and

Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO; Chinese: 上海爱乐乐团; pinyin: Shànghǎi Àiyuè Yuètuán) is a professional symphony orchestra based in Shanghai, China. It is under the administration of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of C ...

. She has appeared at venues including

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...

, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. She maintains a close collaboration with composer

, performing his Hero Concerto with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the

. She premiered his Triple Resurrection Concerto in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

with the

. In 2010, she premiered Tan Dun's violin concerto The Love with the

Trondheim Symphony Orchestra The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera ( Norwegian: ''Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera'') is a Norwegian orchestra based in Trondheim, Norway. Its principal concert venue is the Olavshallen. The orchestra is organised as a trust and receives ...

at the

World Expo A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

. She also premiered his The Fire Rituals with the Chinese National Orchestra at the

National Centre for the Performing Arts (China) The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) (), colloquially described as The Giant Egg (巨蛋), is an arts centre containing an opera house in Xicheng District, Xicheng, Beijing, China. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the NCPA ...

. In 2021, she recorded Anders Hillborg’s ''Violin Concerto No. 2'' and ''Liquid Marble'' with the

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra () is a Swedish radio orchestra based in Stockholm, affiliated with Sveriges Radio (Sweden's Radio). Its principal performing venue is the Berwaldhallen (Berwald Hall). The orchestra broadcasts concerts on th ...

under

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conducting, conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Sw ...

; the album was released in 2024 and won 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 ...

for Classical Music that year. In 2023, Hemsing released ''Arctic'' with the Arctic Philharmonic and conductor Christian Kluxen, a project highlighting the natural soundscapes of the Arctic region. The album received the Opus Klassik Award in the "Classic without Limits". Her discography also includes a 2020 recording of Edvard Grieg’s

Violin Sonatas A violin sonata is a musical composition for violin, often accompanied by a keyboard instrument and in earlier periods with a bass instrument doubling the keyboard bass line. The violin sonata developed from a simple baroque form with no fixed for ...

with pianist Simon Trpčeski, featuring her own composition "Homecoming," which won the

for Classical Music in 2020. In 2022, she signed with Sony Classical, and later, in 2024, she was signed by Epstein Fox Performances.

Projects and advocacy

Hemsing co-founded Hemsing Festival in

Valdres Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre S ...

, and serves as artistic director of SPIRE, a mentoring program for young artists. She is also a senior artistic advisor for the Advisory Board for the Arts.

Instrument

Hemsing plays a 1707

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinisation of names, Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', a ...

violin, known as the "Rivaz, Baron Gutmann," on loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation. She also plays the traditional Norwegian

Hardanger fiddle A hardanger fiddle () is a traditional stringed instrument considered the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than four as on a standard v ...

Notable recordings

Hemsing's recording of a violin concerto by

Hjalmar Borgstrøm Hjalmar Borgstrøm (; 23 March 1864 – 5 July 1925) was a Norwegian composer and music critic who played a prominent role in the musical life of his country in the first quarter of the 20th century. Biography Borgstrøm was born Hjalmar Jensen ...

with Wiener Symphoniker, directed by Olari Elts, was released worldwide by BIS in 2018, and included performances by Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor

Christian Lindberg Christian Lindberg (born 15 February 1958) is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer. Biography Early life and career Lindberg was born in Danderyd. As a youth, he learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombo ...

);

Szczecin Philharmonic Szczecin Philharmonic, officially Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic (), founded in 1948, is a philharmonic of the city of Szczecin, Poland.

(conductor Rune Bergmann);

Bergen International Festival 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 ...

in Norway; and

Paavo Järvi Paavo Järvi (; born 30 December 1962) is an Estonian conductor. He has been chief conductor of Zurich's Tonhalle since 2020. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia (then occupied by the Soviet Union), to Liilia Järvi and the Estoni ...

's Pärnu Festival in Estonia. In 2020, Hemsing released a recording of

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

’s Violin Sonatas with pianist Simon Trpčeski. The album also featured her own composition, ''Homecoming'', and was awarded the 2020

in the Classical Music category. In 2023, she released an album, ''Arctic'', recorded with the Arctic Philharmonic and Christian Kluxen. The album won the Opus Klassik Award in the category Classic without Limits. In 2021, Hemsing recorded

’s ''Violin Concerto No. 2'' and ''Liquid Marble'' with the

, conducted by

. The album was released in 2024 and received the

in the Classical Music category the same year.

Discography

Albums:

* 2011: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Kvarts,

, ''Varde'' (Kvarts) * 2018: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Wiener Symphoniker, Olari Elts: Hjalmar Borgstrøm, Violin Concerto op. 25/Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1 (BIS) * 2018: Eldbjørg Hemsing,

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is a Belgian symphony orchestra based in Antwerp, with the Queen Elisabeth Hall as its principal concert venue. The orchestra performs in a number of venues in various cities in Belgium: * Antwerp: Queen Elisabe ...

Alan Buribayev Alan Buribayev (, ''Alan Börıbaev''; surname also spelled Buribaev in English) (born 30 May 1979) is a Kazakhs, Kazakh orchestral conductor. Career The son of a cellist/conductor father and a pianist mother, he studied violin and conducting a ...

: Dvořák & Suk, Works for Violin & Orchestra (BIS) * 2019: Eldbjørg Hemsing,

: Tan Dun, Fire Ritual, Violin Concertos (BIS) * 2020: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Epic Orchestra: New Sound of Classical * 2020: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Simon Trpčeski: Grieg, The Violin Sonatas (BIS) * 2023: Eldbjørg Hemsing, GBH Music presents Live at GBH * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing: Arctic * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing,

Stavanger Symphony Orchestra The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (, SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Stavanger, Norway. The SSO principal venue is the Stavanger Concert Hall (Stavanger konserthus), performing in the Fartein Valen concert hall. History The Norwegian Broad ...

, Rolf Wallin: Five Seasons, Stride & Other Orchestral Works * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing,

: Violin Concerto No. 2/Liquid Marble

Singles:

* 2019: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Michael England,

NDR Radiophilharmonie The NDR Radiophilharmonie is a German radio orchestra, affiliated with the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. The orchestra principally gives concerts in the ''Großer Sendesaal'' of the '' Landesfunkhaus Niede ...

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinbu ...

, The Four Seasons Recomposed: Spring 1 * 2020: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Dirk Maassen, The Scoring Berlin Orchestra: Fjara * 2020: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Michael England,

Vladimir Martynov Vladimir Ivanovich Martynov (Russian: Владимир Иванович Мартынов) (Moscow, 20 February 1946) is a Russian composer, known for his compositions in the concerto, orchestral music, chamber music, and choral music genres. Life ...

, Come In!: IV. Movement * 2021: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Hestia String Quartet:

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

, Winter Meditation (after The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto, RV 297: II. Largo) * 2022: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic:

Henning Sommerro Henning Sommerro (born 3 May 1952 in Surnadal Municipality) is a Norwegian musician, composer and professor at NTNU. Biography Sommerro grew up on the Sommerro farm at Skei in Surnadal Municipality. His name became widely known in 1977 when ...

, Varsøg (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Ben Palmer) * 2022: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic:

, Last Spring (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Op. 33 No. 2 by Ben Palmer) * 2022: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic:

Frode Fjellheim Frode Fjellheim (born 27 August 1959 in Mussere) is a Southern Saami yoiker and musician (piano and synthesizer) from Norway. He is best known for his band Transjoik and as the composer of the 2002 song "Eatnemen Vuelie", which was later adapt ...

, Under the Arctic Moon * 2022: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic:

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, orchestrator and music producer. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

, A Hidden Life * 2022: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic:

Ola Gjeilo Ola Gjeilo ( , ; born May 5, 1978) is a Norwegians, Norwegian composer and pianist in the United States. He writes choir, choral music, and has written for piano and concert band, wind symphony, publishing through Walton Music, Edition Peters, ...

, Dawn * 2022: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic: Jacob Shea, The Arctic Suite: VI. Sea Ice Melting * 2023: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Raphaela Gromes, Håvard Gimse:

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

, Thaïs - Meditation (Trio Version) * 2023: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Håvard Gimse:

Johan Halvorsen Johan Halvorsen (15 March 1864 – 4 December 1935) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Life Born in Drammen, he was an accomplished violinist from a very early age and became a prominent figure in Norwegian musical life. He r ...

, Suite Mosaique, Op. 35: IV. Veslemøys sang * 2023: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Raphaela Gromes, Håvard Gimse:

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

, Pavane, Op. 50 (Trio Version) * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Håvard Gimse:

Ole Bull Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing. Biography Background Bull was ...

, Sæterjentens Søndag * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic: Jacob Shea, The Arctic Suite, V. Sea Ice Melting (Violin-Piano Version) * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Håvard Gimse: Ludvig Irgens-Jensen, Bol's Song * 2024: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Norwegian String Quintet, Tim Allhoff:

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier, BWV 469 (Arr. for Violin, String Quintet & Piano by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) * 2025: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Norwegian String Quintet, Tim Allhoff:

, Bach Partita Variation (From BWV 1006: 1, Arr. for Violin, String Quintet & Piano by Tim Allhoff) * 2025: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Norwegian String Quintet, Tim Allhoff:

, Bach Brandenburg Concerto Revisited (From BWV 1046: 1. Allegro, Arr. for Violin, String Quintet & Piano by Jarkko Riihimäki) * 2025: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Norwegian String Quintet, Tim Allhoff:

, Ave Maria Variation (From Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846: I. Prelude, Arr. for violin, String Quintet and Piano by Tim Allhoff)

Competitions and awards

Hemsing received third prize in Eurovision Young Musicians 2008. Hemsing is also a two time

award winner. She first won in 2020 for her recordings of the Grieg Sonatas, which she released with pianist Simon Trpčeski. She won again in 2024 for her album ''Hillborg: Violin Concerto No. 2/Liquid Marble.'' Her 2023 album ''Arctic'' received the Opus Klassik Award in the category Classic without Limits.

References

External links

Eldbjørg Hemsing – Keynote Artist Management

Barratt Due MusikkinstitutThe Hemsing Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemsing, Eldbjorg Barratt Due Institute of Music alumni People from Valdres 1990 births Living people 21st-century Norwegian classical violinists Women classical violinists 21st-century Norwegian women musicians People from Nord-Aurdal Norwegian violinists Norwegian classical musicians by instrument