Marie "Maja" Flagstad (née Johnsrud) (November 15, 1871 – January 18, 1958) was a Norwegian

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

choral conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

, and

répétiteur A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is . Opera In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...

.Randel, Don Michael. 1996. ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 272.

Life

Born Marie Johnsrud, she was from the Johnsrud farm in the village of

Eidsvoll Verk Eidsvoll Verk is a village in Eidsvoll, in Akershus County, Norway. It is served by Eidsvoll Verk Station on the Gardermoen Line. It was the site of the former Eidsvold Iron Works. It is also the site of the Eidsvoll Manor, where the Constitu ...

. She was the sister of the organist Hans Nielsen Johnsrud (1864–1948). She married the musician

Michael Flagstad Michael Flagstad (4 February 1869 – 1 December 1930) was a Norwegian musician and conductor from Hamar. Biography Flagstad studied violin with Gudbrand Bøhn, and he was the conductor at the Central TheaterVogt, Howard. 1987. ''Flagstad: Si ...

(1869–1930) and was the mother of

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casaz ...

(1895–1962), whom she taught voice and later accompanied on recordings. Her other children were also musicians: the conductor Ole Flagstad, pianist Lasse Flagstad, and singer

Karen-Marie Flagstad Karen-Marie Flagstad (November 24, 1904 – December 25, 1992) was a Norwegian soprano opera singer and one of Norway's leading singers in her time. Born in Oslo,Kutsch, Karl-Josef Kutsch, & Leo Riemens. 2003. ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', 4th ed, ...

. The family lived in

Vinderen Vinderen is a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It was a separate borough until 1 January 2004, when it was incorporated into the newly established borough of Vestre Aker. Its amenities include Vinderen (station), Vinderen ...

in Christiania (now Oslo). Already at a very young age, Maja Flagstad was active in the capital's music scene, first at the Christiania Theater in 1891, and later at the Central Theater, where her husband conducted. At the opening of the cabaret theater

Chat Noir (French language, French for 'black cat') is a cabaret and revue theatre in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1912 by Bokken Lasson. The current director is Tom Sterri. Establishment Chat Noir was established as a cabaret in 1912 by singer B ...

, she accompanied

Bokken Lasson Caroline "Bokken" Lasson (7 January 1871 – 3 August 1970) was a Norwegian concert and cabaret singer. She is known for starting the Oslo cabaret Chat Noir in 1912, and also for introducing the children's song "Tuppen og Lillemor" to the Nor ...

singing "Tuppen og Lillemor" (the Norwegian version of "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard") on March 1, 1912. The Flagstad family was central in the short-lived

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, located between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and K ...

(1918–1921), where Kirsten also sang.Varnay, Astrid. 2000. ''Fifty-Five Years in Five Acts: My Life in Opera''. Boston: Northeastern University Press, pp. 43–44. Later the family performed at the

Mayol Theater Mayol may refer to: Buildings * Stade Mayol, a multi-use stadium in Toulon, France People * Alberto Mayol (born 1976), Chilean sociologist, political analyst, and politician * Félix Mayol (1872-1941), French singer and entertainer * Guillem Ba ...

(in 1921) and Casino (1924–1927). Maja Flagstad was the first conductor of the

Oslo Philharmonic Choir 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, and ...

(in 1922). She was a guest conductor at the National Theater in Bergen and was credited with discovering the performing artist and bass singer

Bjarne Bø Bjarne Bø (April 3, 1907 – August 9, 1998) was a Norwegian actor. Bø was born in Skjeberg in the municipality of Sarpsborg in Østfold county, Norway. He debuted in 1939 in the role of Sjur in the play '' Hu Dagmar'' by Ove Ansteinsson (188 ...

during a performance at

Bergen Cathedral Bergen Cathedral () is a cathedral in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin as well as the seat of the "Bergen domkirke" parish and the seat of the Bergen domprosti (arch-deanery). It ...

in 1929. She worked extensively as a répétiteur, accompanying well-known artists such as Hauk Aabel and

Erik Ole Bye Erik Ole Bye (20 March 1883 – 17 May 1953) was a Norwegian operatic baritone. He studied singing with Morgenstierne in Oslo, zur Muhlen in London, and R. Willani in Paris. He also competed at the Olympics as a rower. Biography He competed in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flagstad, Maja Norwegian women pianists Norwegian women conductors (music) Musicians from Eidsvoll 1871 births 1958 deaths Women classical pianists