The ice castle

For almost a year and a half now I have been working on a project based on a Norwegian book by Tarjei Vesaas called "Isslottet", "The ice castle". It is a music theatre project between a dancer, singer, an actress, a writer and a composer. It started just as another project, but has become a personal journey for me. One who inspires me in a lot of my work is the writer Paulo Coelho and in one of his books he says; "When you meet people you learn, you hear. And sometimes you´re hearing yourself. You´re in front of a mirror. You´re seeing yourself better..."And working on this project has been like that. I have met all these people some have stayed with me for the whole journey others have taken different paths. But each and one of them has left a footprint in the sand and have taught me things. I am still working very hard to get enough money together to make this dream and project become a reality. But a lot has happened sibnce I started the script is written, a composer has written some music, a poster/logo has been made. And next weekend we are going to make a short film around one of the songs to give people a taste of what the show is going to be like. This week I had an exiting meeting with a light artist/stage designer who is going to take part in the short film and I have also had a meeting with a producer who is interested in taking some of my work load. I have a lot of other things on the go at the same time. From this autumn I have been working for Trondheim Symfoniorchestras Vocalensemble and this spring we are going to so a concert with Bryn Terfel, Mahler 8th Symphony and have an operagala. I have also decided to audition to do a master at Norges Musikkhøgskole. All exiting stuff and I will try and be better at keeping this page updated from now on.

April John Mills Concerts in Norway

It was really lovely to perform together with John again. Not only is he a great musician whom i can look up to and learn from, but he is a great team worker and such a joy to sing with. He is a man who is so warm, outgoing, caring, encouariging and he has become a dear friend. It was extra special to work on a piece with the actual composer and to perform his song for the first time during this mini tour. I fell in love with the piece and hope that we´ll be an opportunity to record it at some stage. We were both very content with the atmosphere and mood we managed create at the three concerts. We received good feedback and had good crowd of people in the audience. But I must say that I never would have managed to do these concerts without great help and support from trondheim guitar club, my parents, loving boyfriend and other sponsors. We are both so buisy and tied up this autumn that we woun´t be able to hold any concert, but we are both looking forward to fitting in concerts in the new year.

West side story

Taking part in the concert version of West Side Story under the summer song at Ringve was one of the biggest experiences I have had.. To get to sing Rosalia with world class singers sunch as Randi Stene and Solveig Kringlebotn, a fantastic Orchestra - Trondheim Symphony Orchestra - and a great conductor such as Benjamin Shwarz . Amazing. I learnt a lot and hope that there´ll be more opportunities like this in the future!

Qualified music teacher

Yes! Finally I have the papers! I can now say that I am officially a qualified singing teacher! It has been a tough year, both physically and psychologically. It is not easy to have dyslexia and have to write so many assignments and sit through so long lectures. Still I learnt a lot aboy myself and how the system works and I have grown as a person and performer this year. I loved watching the pupils grow and develop, and to see their faces full of satisfactury as they finally found the key and solved their problem. It was also very satisfactory to teach. You learn so much and I had a lot of positive feedback from both students and tutors. Still, I don´t think I am ready to teach 100%. I will have some students, but my main aim and mission is to perform at the moment.

AN EXITING 2009

It has been a very hectic and challenging autumn. I decided to take a one year music teaching degree in Trondheim, Norway aswell as keeping my freelance work going. Don’t really think that I realised how much hard work this would involve. It is not easy to market yourself, keeping up the singing practise, looking for singing work, aswell as writing assignments and reading for exams. I guess I managed to keep up everything apart from the marketing bit this autumn. But by June 2009 I will have completed my teaching qualifications and my one year marathon will be completedJ! I have some freelance work up and running for 2009, but Iit is barely enough and I wish that there was more. You never get to sing and perform enough! I love it, I really do! Very proud of the performances that I have done this year and I have really enjoyed myself! I have worked with so many talented and gifted artist and guided by actors and singing teachers who has been such an inspiration to me. The performing work has given me the energy to complete my studies, and the inspiration to continue my projects, freelance work and I have started to look for auditions and future singing work! Really looking forward to a bright and exiting 2009! One of my projects is a” mini tour” the 17- 19 of April in Norway with John Mills and I am preparing for some auditions and competitions for this autumn and in 2010.

YOUNG SOUNDS TEN YEAR JUBILEE

We were a proud team who celebrated our ten year jubilee for Young Sound this Christmas. It is fantastic that the youngsters have continued the tradition we started. There is so much talent in our village to take care of and I hope that it continues for several years to come!

OPERA TO THE PEOPLE!

We all had butterflies in our stomachs as we turned up for the sound check at Gallery Bjørkhov Saturday evening. What would the turn out be like? How many would dare to take the big step into the world of opera? For those who did, would they enjoy themselves?
Gradually the seats started to fill up. The clock struck eight they had ordered their meals and beers and the show was about to begin!
It turned out to be a delightful evening both for the performers and the audience. We sang through some of the well know opera pearls to highlights of the musical world. We danced around the room, fought like cats and smashed cutlery in anger and frustration. We gave our all, leaving some people speechless and others smiling! The Gallery was buzzing! What an amazing evening! The hosts of Gallery Bjørkhov were fantastic and so pleased! It was so much fun and I felt privileged to work with such a talented bunch of performers! We all hope that this will be a regular event in the future!

Who knows what the future might bring?

My trip over to the UK in March was really nice. I caught up with a lot of good friends in Wales and London along the way and recorded a demo. Met up with an excellent coach and took part in a Master class!

First of all I headed towards Wales and Cardiff where I stayed with my lovely friends Carol and Tony Olavssen and finally got to record a demo with John Mills. It was great to work with such an amazing musician once again and we are now planning concerts for 2008/09.

After a couple of days in Cardiff I headed off up to London were I caught up with some close friends and had a coaching lesson with Adrian Hobbs. Adrian always inspires me. I just realised how much I love this way of working and how much I miss my close friends.

On the Saturday I took part in a Master class with William Relton. It was very enjoyable and fun to get input in stage craft once again! It is always interesting to see what different societies have to offer when it comes to workshops/Master classes, and to get the opportunity to work with people such as William Relton with such great expertise. The last hour of the Master class we had audition training. Here the group of ten singers was divided in to two groups. Each group sat in the panel and auditioned. Afterwards we gave each other feedback. I prefer being up there singing and doing, but you learn a great deal watching others too! It was also good to hear what people actually look for in an audition.

It was with a heavy heart that I left London on the following day. I just wanted more; I wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Who knows maybe I’ll come back again in the very near future?

William Relton
worked as an actor from 1971. He gained his first experience of opera as both director and singer with Musical Theatre London in the early 90s. He worked at English National Opera and Opera North as Assistant Director on many productions. Since 1993 he has been in much demand as director in the UK and Europe. For ENO he has directed La Boheme and The Barber of Seville; he has also directed for Dorset Opera, British Youth Opera, RSAMD, Royal Academy of Music, Kongelig TEater, Copenhagen, London Handel Opera at the RCM, L’Opera de Nice, DRottningholm Theatre, Sweden, and the Staatstheater Darmstadt where he is working again this autumn.

Its Christmastime

Five Christmas shows have come to an end and finally I might start thinking of buying Christmas presents and Christmas cards. Its Christmas time is a show staging a blend of Christmas entertainment, Christmas Carols, folk music, stand up comedians, highlights from the opera world, musical highlights, rock enroll, funk and soul. I am honored to be part of such a show and what an experience! I finally got to sing one of my favorite opera numbers Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen with a big band! This year I represented the Opera Diva, but I hope that if I get the chance to take part again next year, I might get the opportunity to also sing some musical numbers. You never know though, there are a lot of talented people out there just waiting for the chance to jump in and take your place. Personally I think that is a very good thing, it keeps you on your toes and makes you focus on ways you can improve as a performer. However there has been a lot of positive feedback and we’ve had great audiences. Thank you for all your support!

FOSSEKALL

This year it’s 100 years since the Norwegian composer Edvard Griegs’ death. Professional artists from Selbu, Selbu Teaterforum(a local theatre group) and a local choir wanted to celebrate this by putting on a play at Kalvåa. Kalvåa is an outdoor theatre/ museum in Selbu, Norway.
Inspired by Griegs music, the power of the waterfall in Kalvåa and our own longing, the fairytale “Fossekall” was born. A play about the life of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg written by Elisabeth Matthesson Solberg (actor/writer/director)
Together with Edvard Griegs music and the poets Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Henrik Ibsen and Arne Garborg, the waterfall was released in its full power, and set free in to the autumn night. The characters Ole Bull, Edvards wife Nina Grieg and characters such as Per Gynt, Solveig, the mountain maids, *Huldra and *Dovregubben were brought to life. It turned into a magical night for both performers and audience.
To work with Elisabeth Solberg Matthesson was an amazing experience for me. She is a wonderful and warm human being, a great actress and a fantastic director! I have had to face a lot of challenges both on and off the stage this year. To play the part of Nina Grieg has meant a lot to me. We had a short and intense rehearsal period, but we grew into a strong team and I have grown as a performer.
We are now hoping that “Fossekall” can be part of “Festspillene in Bergen” March 2008. This is a festival held each year in Bergen, Norway.
*Huldra= A beautiful woman with a tail, who lures men into the woods and is part of the underworld.
*Dovregubben = a character from Ibsens Peer Gynt. A big Troll king and is the leader of the underworld creatures who live in “Doregubbens hall”.

Drama in Wales

After a 10 hour journey I finally arrived in Cardiff at 11o’clock Tuesday night. I had a warm welcome from some dear friends of mine from the Norwegian Welsh society and after a bowl of hot soup I curled up in a nice warm bed. Heaven! Wednesday, the people at Llandaff Cathedral allowed me to use their music room to do some practice both that day plus Thursday and Friday! Wednesday and Thursday evenings John and I rehearsed. It was a great joy to play through his arrangements of the Grieg songs. The Swan, The water Lilly, and I love you. The songs worked really well for voice and guitar and it was so good to see my dear friend again! Friday morning the drama began in Wales! Snow has invaded Wales! The whole society stopped up. Schools and shops closed, people were advised to stay at home and grownups and children made snowmen and played in the snow with their kids! I am stunned! I couldn’t believe it! At 1 o’clock I got a phone call from John, ”The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama have evacuated all their staff and students because of fire alarms and bad weather. I’m sitting in my car, could we rehearse at your friends house?” I couldn’t believe it! We were supposed to record a demo that day too! What was the fuss all about? I was now starting to fear the worst. Would our concert in Ystrad Mynach be canceled? I made a phone call to the Rhymney Society who had invited us and they said they hoped that the concert it would go ahead as planned, but would let us know in the morning. “It must be 40 years since we had so much snow here in Wales!”
The day of the concert I got up and prepare to go, the trains were running and all the main roads in Cardiff were almost bare.
My phone rang: “Hello its John here. I am so sorry Mai but they’ve canceled the concert because people can’t get out of their houses. Since Ystrad Mynach lies higher than Cardiff there is far much more snow here and all the side roads are very slippery. You could catch the train though and we can rehearse where I am staying in Ystraad Mynach.” I couldn’t believe it we were both in the area, but there was not going to be a concert! Should I laugh or cry? That evening I wanted to be anything but a singer, I was very disappointed. However, there came some good out of this. Rhumney Music Society really wanted us to come back in June to have a concert there and they were willing to arrange two or three concerts in other places in Wales. Alls well that ends well.
The Concert in Christ Church Bristol on the Sunday was a success. We had a really good audience and what a tremendous acoustic! The feedback was very positive too and I left the UK on a buzzing high. What did I learn? Never have a concert in Wales in February! Ha ha. A Drama is never too big to handle especially in the company of true friends. I feel blessed and so lucky to have so many good friends and contacts in different parts of the world and hope that throughout my life I can continue to build these bridges.

GRIEG CONCERT

Despite the dry acoustics Knut Erik the pianist and I really enjoyed the concert on Sunday. The venue was perfect and intimate and we had a quality audience.
The Friday before we jumped on a cheap plane down to Oslo and worked on the piece with one of Knut Eriks teachers. Wow what an inspiration! The piece “Haugtussa” continues to develop vocally, dramatically and musically and this is such and exiting time for us both. The song cycle is a huge challenge because it covers a wide specter of emotions from being really low to being playful and happy an emotional roller costar in other words. We are both looking forward to continue our development and future collaborations.

DENMARK AND THE IMPORTANCE OF INSPIERING YOUNGSTERS
Yet another adventure has come to an end. I had a fantastic time in Denmark worked a lot on vocal and mental techniques and release of body tensions. I had a lot of challenges,but these challenges has made me grow as a human being and through them I made a lot of good friends. Financially it became very tough having to pay for two lessons and a coaching lesson every week, as well as a three week yoga course, but I made it and I am so proud of my self! I am very tempted to return in 2007 to continue the working process that I started.
I am now temping as a singing teacher in three music schools until the 22nd of January as well as working as a freelance singer in UK, Norway and Holland. It is hard work to teach 60kids each week, but it is a perfect way to get the chance to inspire youngsters to get involved in the performing arts and hopefully they will fall in love with the erforming arts and music in the same way as I have done. The kids also have reminded me of why I do what I do and of the most important things in music: to have fun and to play. My next project abroad is two concerts with the English guitarist John Mills in Wales and England in the beginning of February.All exiting can't wait!

A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER

It was lovely to be back in Wales again and I received a warm welcome at the house of my two good friends Tony and Carol.
However in connection with the concerts we met a few hitches along the way.
Our first gig was a lunchtime concert in the foyer at the Welsh Millennium Centre on Thursday 3rd of November. The plan was that the programs for the concerts and my concerts dresses were going to be flown over from Norway by my parents on the Thursday. Wednesday night I got a phone call from my parents in Norway. “There is a pending strike in Norwegian airlines, we might not be able to come over, be prepared.” Ahh, I was determined not to panic, I had to focus on our first gig, and fate would decide. I was not really sure how it would be to have a concert in the foyer, but thought of it as a very good experience and it was indeed! Loads of people turned up and sat down on the benches around. The cafés filled up with people who decided to sit down and listen to us too. I was overwhelmed and touched by this, a lovely surprise. Half way through we also received some good news, my mum and dad were on their way!
Our next concert at Insole Court turned out to be a little bit more dramatic than I had expected. The venue was booked and we were all set to rehearse at the venue at 11o’clock the same day. Tony, John and I turned up at the venue ready to start the preparations for the evening event, but to our horror and annoyance we were told by the manager that the venue was closed on Health and safety grounds. Why? We were speechless. Something was going on. John came over to Tony and myself and explained that Cardiff Council had received a message the night before about the closure of the venue. “But, we have a concert here tonight! The tickets are all sold out! What do you expect us to do?” we asked the people from the council.
“Find another venue or cancel it,” they said.
I was shocked. This had to be a joke! No, they were serious, this was no joke. So 8 hours before our concert we were without a concert venue and in danger of having to cancel! I tried to stay calm. Tony, another committee member, John, and myself were determined not to be beaten!
After a prolonged argument we realised that we were making no progress, even when the Deputy Chief Executive and the Health and Safety Inspector were summoned. Thanks to the Cathedral authorities we found a new venue, and were lucky to get somewhere nearby. The Council were persuaded to pay for the transport and tuning of the piano for the new location. The lack of information to the organisers of the concert by Cardiff Council left a lot to be desired and any future dealings with the Council should be undertaken with care. I must admit that the huge bouquets of flowers from the council as an apology for the inconvenience didn’t help matters much.
At 5.30 the piano was tuned, John and his little helpers built a stage, set up a red velvet back drop, lights were rigged and sim sala bim an atmosphere of stage dramatics was created. The concert was a success and people really seemed to enjoy themselves with the good old Gershwin and Weil repertoire and a glass of wine.
Our last concert at Llandaff Catherdral went without any complications and a lovely crowd of 130 people turned up, amongst them were family and some of my dearest friends. It is a fantastic venue and the acoustics where amazing and Taina finally got the chance to play the grand piano!
It certainly turned out to be a weekend I’ll remember, not just because of all the challenges we had to deal with but because of what a fantastic team we made!
Now I am looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead of me. Denmark, Norway, Cardiff in the New Year and then the Netherlands.

A NEW ADVENTURE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN

A NEW ADVENTURE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN

I am about to start a new adventure, to Copenhagen in Denmark. I am leaving for Kristiansand on Friday early in the morning to record and complete the tracks I am taking part on in this house music project. Then I am off to Denmark. A lot of butterflies in my stomach right now! Can’t wait to get some intensive guidance on my voice and make new friends in Denmark. If all goes as planned I will be staying there until the end of November, but it is all down to finance to be honest.

HOUSEMUSIC PROJECT

HOUSE MUSIC PROJECT

I have had one of the most inspirational weekends of my life! To stand in a studio, letting the music fill my body and soul, just let go and improvise not thinking of what’s right or wrong. What an amazing feeling! It gave me extra confidence and faith in my voice. It made me see that if I just let go, my voice knows what to do. This is a feeling I want to bring in to my classical music!

Master classes and workshops in Sussex

MASTER CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS IN SUSSEX
What an amazing experience! I have learnt so much this last week and worked with some fantastic teachers and coaches such as Ameral Gunson, Penny MacKay, Richard Jackson, Delia Lindon, Andrew Robinson, Robin Martin - Oliver, Gregory Rose, Robin Bowman and Jonathan Hinden. The participants were such a nice bunch! Not only did we sing, but Monday night I experienced my first barn dance!
Our opera scene from Verdi’s Falstaff where I played Alice was a challenging but joyful experience. After our final performance at the end of the course it was also fantastic to get such positive feedback, not only for my stage presence but also for the quality of my voice, and believe it or not for my top register! This I can thank the yoga and Trager sessions for! In the beginning the thought of yoga at 7am in the morning without first having breakfast, was not a tempting thought. However as the week went by I grew to love it! This and my trager session helped me to discover a freedom in my voice that I have been working to achieve for such a long time. Now it is up to me to achieve this freedom and release on my own and to continue the work.
It was a week which gave me so much confidence, joy and even more love for music, if that is possible. I am so looking forward to all the challenges, projects, gigs and the unforeseeable future that lies ahead of me. I feel blessed and very lucky.

Sussex
Exiting times ahead! On Friday 17th of August I am off to Summer Music School in Sussex for a week 18th – 27th of August. I can’t wait to start working on the scene from Verdi’s Falstaff, the Mozart recitative class and the song classes. It is so much fun to learn new material and get new impulses especially from such excellent staff. I was also very lucky to be one of the people who received a scholarship and it was because of that scholarship that I am able to take part in the course. I have been preparing for this summer course not just by practicing my singing voice, but also by splashing around on the lovely lake “Selbusjøen” in our family kayak. Peaceful for the body and mind, you should try it! Had some fantastic weeks working as a guide at Ringve music museum and taking part in cruise concerts. Got to broaden my skills within the music instrument world and play some beautiful instruments, but also got to use some of my language skills such as German. In other words I have had a fantastic summer where I have met a lot of interesting and lovely people!
Apart from this John Mills and I had the fantastic news! Our concert tour in Holland has been confirmed, April 2007. I will tell you more about these concerts nearer the time.

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