"...the group charged the evening with entirely unaccompanied singing no less than extraordinary -- even far beyond the basic yardstick measurements. Intonation? Impeccable. Ensemble? Unfailing precision in phrasing, dynamics, color -- everything finely tuned for a succession of works ever-changing in style and expressive meaning."
Washington Post

"...the richness of the Nordic Voices flooded the immensity of the concert hall....left everyone in the audience with the perfect blend of sensations reminiscent of this emotional experience, a mixture as varied and delightful as the evening’s performance..."
The China Post (Taipei)

"Impeccable intonation combined with incredibly dulcet melodious phasing permeated this performance."
Yellow Springs News

"Nordic Voices are a force to be reckoned with, as much because of their adventurousness and range as because of their specialty and expertise in choral music."
The Live Music Report (www.thelivemusicreport.com)

"The singing was excellent, sharp as a knife, and the balance was beyond reproach." Morgunbladid, Reykjavik, Iceland

"The a cappella ensemble combined modality and atonality, and text-setting styles ranging from the sublime to the delightfully ridiculous, into a seamless argument - that Scandinavian choral music is a beautiful world unto itself."
Birmingham News

'With its virtuous and humor-filled interpretation of Ligeti's "Nonsense Madrigals", Nordic Voices seizes any audience." Stavanger Aftenblad, Stavanger

"...the songs open up many possibilities for creating nuances and making musical points. Nordic Voices never missed any of these opportunities, but let blessed Monteverdi and Gesualdo appear with all the resounding rhetoric ever desired." Tønsberg Blad

"The Church Music Festival seemed to have reached new heights this year, and the concert by Nordic Voices was no exception. Every soloist had an exceptional voice, all of which combined to make the perfect instrument." Morgunbladid, Reykjavik, Iceland

"The vocal ensemble Nordic Voices, showing off a clear and secure intonation, virginal pureness and lots of temperament, performed three songs of the eccentric Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi." Värt Land, Oslo, Norway

Nordic Voices is:

Tone Elisabeth Braaten, soprano
Ingrid Hanken, soprano
Ebba Rydh, mezzo soprano
Per Kristian Amundrød, tenor
Frank Havrøy, baritone
Trond Olav Reinholdtsen, bass

Nordic Voices is a six-voice a capella ensemble whose recent performances on tour have been hailed by the critics "Such mesmerizing talent is rare." [Washington Post 2/4/08] and "Whatever language, it was the group's astonishing range of sonic vocabulary... that thrilled the senses and sent an emotional message no listener could miss" [Washington Post 10/27/03]

Their latest CD, Reges Terrae on the Chandos label, is equally acclaimed "...stunning Super Audio disc...exquisite and beautifully performed." [thewholenote.com 2/1/08] and nominated for a Spelemann prize (the Norwegian "grammy").

Based in Oslo, Nordic Voices tour a rich and varied repertoire, performed with immediacy, intimacy and fun. Their astonishingly beautiful singing and stage presence, with their smart and stylish performance style, captivates their audiences, as is evidenced by requests for return engagements. During the 2007/08 season, they will again bring us an expansive variety of repertoire, from medieval to modernist.

A recent sampling of their performance schedule includes: a North American tour featuring their Canadian debut at Soundstreams/Northern Encounters Festival; their Japanese debut in Kyoto at the World Symposium on Choral Music; a project with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and performances at the Fartein Valen Festival, the Greek festival Modelo in Patras; and a set of seven concerts in five days at the Hardanger Musikkfest in Norway followed by the Festival in Noirlac, France.

On North American tour, Nordic Voices' program offerings include "Studies After Nature" and "Human Struggle - Divine Harmony" featuring works of Dufay, Jannequin, Ravel, Poulenc, Norwegian folk songs and more. They will also offer "Sense and nonSense" and the "Lamentations" program.

Immediately capturing audiences with their smart and stylish performance ethos, Nordic Voices entices the listener with a playful and sophisticated approach that enhances their already remarkable singing. For an interview with Nordic Voices, click here.

In Europe, recent Nordic Voices projects include performances with the National Ballet of Norway in a new work written for them by Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk. Titled Kyrie and Gloria it was premiered at the festival in Haugesund, Norway. They also performed at the Ultima festival in Oslo, the biggest festival for contemporary music in Norway, where they sang Luciano Berio's A Ronne, as well as commissioned pieces by young Norwegian composers. Their recent 12 city Norwegian tour was sponsored by the Norwegian Telecom Company Telenor.

The varied musical interests and skills of these remarkable singers has also been expressed in a series of concerts titled The Chamber Tone of the Body -- a collaboration with jazz pianist Mikhail Alperin and the Norwegian author Lars Saabye Christensen.

The group's landmark recording, Sense and nonSense, was released on the Jonathan Digital label in 2002. The CD celebrates a focus on different approaches toward text in vocal music, from the use of abstract phonemes to pictorial storytelling.

In 2003 Nordic Voices returned to the studio to record a CD of early music, The Time of Carlos V featuring works of Morales, Manchicourt and more. A new recording of contemporary music, drawn from works Nordic Voices has commissioned over the last two years is in the making.

Since its formation in 1996, Nordic Voices has toured extensively in Norway and abroad, performing at major festivals and on prestigious series. They have garnered considerable acclaim through their frequent radio and television appearances in Europe. The ensemble has commissioned and performed many new works, and is expert at deftly programming for an exciting mix.

Based in Oslo, Norway, the members of Nordic Voices were educated at the State Academy of Music in Oslo and the National Academy of Operatic Art in Oslo, where they specialized in opera, composition, church music and pedagogy.
 

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