The Young Symphony (Ung Symfoni) from Bergen to Washington, April 2004.  

Who are we?

Ung Symfoni (Young Symphony) is the Bergen-based regional orchestra of the Norwegian Association of School Orchestras. The orchestra, which has a full symphonic instrumentation, was established in 1997. The amount of members varies between 50 and 60 musicians and an increasing number of young musicians apply for the annual audition.

This year the orchestra is larger than ever and its members come from Bergen, the counties of Hordaland, Sogn & Fjordane, Rogaland and Oslo. The orchestra, which only has rehearsals during weekends, demands much from its members. Each member must set aside 8 weekends every year for the orchestra. In addition individual practice and thorough preparations is of course expected. Young Symphony arranges every year a big end-of-season concert and a tour abroad every two years (the tour in 2002 went to Prague). These activities are important for the continuation and social cohesion of the orchestra. Since the start in 1997, Kjell Seim has been conducting the orchestra, one of the most sought after young conductors in Norway.  Individual instructors from the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra give every musician the best possible education and support. The aim is to give our talented youth the opportunity of playing symphonic music at a high level. The orchestra has developed into a melting pot of young musicians from school orchestras, music schools and the Grieg Academy (the University of Bergen).

About the tour to Seattle

The aim for the tour is Seattle, Bergen’s twin city in the US. We plan to leave Bergen on the 1 April and return on the 10 April.

The orchestra will also bring along two professional soloists, both performing on an international level: the singer Kjell Magnus Sandve (tenor) and the young pianist Mr Hans Petter Tangen (see the enclosed biographies in Norwegian).

On the comprehensive concert programme, one will naturally find both Nordic and American music. One of the highlights is Edvard Grieg’s Concerto for Orchestra and Piano in a-minor with Hans Petter Tangen as soloist. Antonin Dvorak’s 9. Symphony “From the New World” is also part of the programme, together with the Norwegian composers Kvandal and Halvorsen as well as the Finnish giant Jean Sibelius. The singer, Sandve, will also participate with selected songs from the operatic literature as well as a selection of romances, including some of Grieg’s. The full programme for the tour will be presented at Åkra (Karmøy, Rogaland) 20 March and then repeated in Grieghallen, Bergen, on the day after. (The complete repertoire is listed below).

The tour will start in the Ferndale / Bellingham area before the orchestra travels on to Tacoma and Seattle. In the Ferndale-area we will spend some time together with local orchestras, i.e. practice and play together to get an impression of how the same type of orchestra is run and functioning in the US.

Concert schedule

3 April at 7:30 p.m.      Concert in Ferndale

4 April at 7:00 p.m.      Concert in Tacoma in PLU's LAGERQUIST HALL

5 April at 7:3 p.m.      Concert in Shorewood Performing Arts Center

6 April at 7:30 p.m.      Concert in Episcopal Cathedral, Olympia

7 April at 7:30 p.m.      Concert in Poulsbo Community Center

The soloists
Joining us on this tour will be tenor Kjell Magnus Sandve and pianist Hans Petter Tangen, both from Karmoy.  The tour will begin in the Ferndale/Bellingham area and from there go to the Seattle/Tacoma areas.  The concert program will consist mostly of music by Norwegian composers, including the Grieg Piano Concerto performed by pianist Hans Petter Tangen. 

Pianist Hans Petter Tangen performed his debut concert in May, 2003.  He is from Akra in Karmoy and studied piano performance in Oslo.  Kjell Magnus Sandve was born in Karmoy and studied at The Norwegian Academy of Music and The Norwegian state opera school.  His first engagement was at the Deutsche National Theatre in Weimar, where he had his debut as Tamino in Die Zauberflote.  The year after, in 1983, he had his debut in the same role at the Norwegian Opera. Sandve is very active as a soloist both in Norway and in Europe.

Repertoire USA - tour:

Links to : Troldhaugen (Edvard Griegs home in Bergen)

             April 1 – 10, 2004

ITINERARY

Thursday, April 1 

            3:20     Ung Symfoni arrives Sea-Tac Airport

                        Bus to Ferndale High School

            7:30     Arrive at Ferndale High School, meet host families, go home with them

 Friday, April 2      

             8:00     Visit Ferndale H.S. Orchestra and Jazz Band classes (Joe Dyvig is the                           orch. director)

10:00     Tour Ferndale H.S. campus with Jazz Band members as guides, then load insts. and music stands onto busses

10:45     Bus to Haggens grocery store in Ferndale, to “experience” an American grocery store!          

          11:20     Board busses for Lummi’s  Wexum Long House (on Haxton Way)

          12:00     Lummi Wexum Long House  ½ hour  performance for all the Lummi School children, grades 1 – 12 by the Ung Symfoni,  additionally 2 or 3 Hardanger tunes; native American food for lunch prepared by Lummi caterers, cultural exchange – children of the rising sun dancers, totem carvers, story tellers.

2:30     Leave Wexum Long House and bus to Bellingham to shop at Costco, Best Buy, or T.J. Max.

4:40     Bus back to Ferndale High School

5:00     Be met  by host families at FHS, for dinner, then return to h.s. at 7:30 for the Gryphon Trio Concert (Piano, Violin, and Cello – they are considered the most outstanding chamber music group in Canada.  The violinist plays on a Stradavarius violin. They will perform Piano Trios by Haydn, Shostakovich, and a contemporary composer (a commissioned work)

Saturday, April 3   

9:30     Bus pick up at FHS, load instruments, stop at Ferndale’s Pioneer Park for 20 minutes,  then to Bellingham, stopping at Piper Music Store (for method books and sheet music browsing) or Quist Violin Shop to purchase strings etc. or The Music Shoppe for wind instrument supplies.  (all 3 stores are fairly close to each other )

11:30    Board busses for Bellis Fair Shopping Mall in Bellingham, for lunch on   

            your own and to browse in stores if you’d like.

12:30    Board busses at Bellis Fair Shopping Mall and travel to Western Wash.

             University for a workshop and rehearsal in the Concert Hall from 1 to 4,

Including a brief tour of the music building.   Grant Donnellan is arranging this rehearsal and will also work with the orchestra part of the time.  (He is Joanne’s son and Assistant Professor of Violin at the University, Director of a Youth Orchestra, and Assistant Director of Whatcom Symphony Orchestra.)

4:10    Board busses at Western Wash. University, return to Ferndale, and put instruments in auditorium for the evening concert.

4:30    Be picked up by host families, change clothes for the concert, and enjoy a potluck dinner for Ung Symfoni members, host families, and members of Sons and Daughters of Norway Lodges from Bellingham, with food provided by the host families and the Lodge members.

5:00   Arrive at Christ Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall for the potluck dinner.

7:30     Concert given by Ung Symfoni at Ferndale High School (orchestra warm-up rehearsal and run-through with singers at 6:30?)

Sunday, April 4

10:00     Meet at Christ Lutheran Church parking lot (corner of E.Seamount             and Vista Drive), load busses, and drive to PLU in Tacoma, passing

           through  the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon on the way.

2:15    Arrive at PLU (eat lunch at fast-food area near Seattle on the way – Old World Buffet in Federal Way (320^th. exit)) or sandwiches on the bus

and unload insts. from busses, then attend  Prof. Svend Ronning’s  violin recital at 3:00.

             5:00    Pizza and Salad dinner for Ung Symfoni at the Scandinavian Center at

PLU, then set up and warm-up for the concert in Lagerquist Hall at PLU.

7:00     Concert given by Ung Symphoni followed by a reception hosted by the Scandinavian Center at PLU. 

9:30     Board busses for Seattle, arrive at Best Value Seattle Inn and Suites at 10:30.

 (tel. # of Hotel is 206 728-7666

Monday, April 5

7:00    Bus pick up at hotel, (breakfast at hotel) bus to Shorewood H.S. and visit the h.s. orch. classs from 7:45 – 9:20 – (play for each other, and maybe play Finlandia together) Store instruments at the school for the evening’s concert.

           (Mark Adamo is the high school orchestra director)

9:30    Bus pick up, travel to Seattle’s Museum of Flight for a 1 hour guided tour, then time to look around on your own, and eat lunch in the cafeteria there.

1:00    Bus pick up,  stop for 1 hour at Pike Place Market (an open market on the Seattle waterfront – similar to Bergen’s market) then travel to the hotel to rest and to eat dinner on your own at one of the small restaurants near the hotel.

6:00    Bus pick up at the hotel, travel to Shorecrest High School (15343 25^th. Ave. NE)   (206 361-4286) to rehearse with Norwegian Chorus before the concert.

7:30    Ung Symfoni Concert at Shorecrest High School in Seattle.

9:30 or 10:00 Bus pick up and  return to hotel. (take instruments with you!)

Tuesday, April 6

8:30     Bus pick up (breakfast is at the hotel) and go to the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard area of Seattle.

You’ll have a guided tour, and see interesting exhibits of what life was like for the Norwegian immigrants who came to the United States.  Following the tour will be time to relax and eat a lunch provided by the Karmon Club of Seattle, from 10:45 – 11:15.

11:30   Bus pick up – travel to Benaroya Hall in Seattle – the beautiful new home of the Seattle Symphony.   You will hear a Pipe Organ Demonstration in the Concert Hall at 12:30, followed by a guided tour of the Beneroya facilities. (There is a Starbucks coffee stand in the foyer!)   

 2:30      Bus pick up – travel to Olympia – meet host families at 4:00, eat dinner with them, then travel with them to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 114 S.E. 20^th. Ave  in downtown Olympia for the concert .

 7:30      Concert at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia – spend night with host families following the concert.

Wednesday, April 7 

8:15     Bus pick up in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, then travel to Olympia HS or North Thurston HS and visit orchestra class, and have lunch at the school.

11:30   Bus pick up in front of the high school,  drive by the Capitol before leaving Olympia, and head for Poulsbo over the Narrows Bridge, arriving at 2 or 2:30.

  2:30   Meet host families at Poulsbo Sons of Norway Hall, eat dinner with them,  return to Sons of Norway Hall at 6:45,  for 7:30 concert.   

  7:30   Ung Symphoni Concert at Poulsbo Sons of Norway Hall, followed by overnight stay with host families.

Thursday, April 8

8:30     Bus pick up at Sons of Norway Hall, travel to Mt. Rainier via Narrows Bridge, then arrive in Southcenter area at 4:00.

4:00     Arrive at Southcenter Claimjumper Restaurant for dinner, then go to a movie at the Theatre Complex across the street. (9 theatres in the complex!)

8:30     Bus pick up at Theatre Complex, and drive to Best Value Seattle Inn and Suites.

9:45     Arrive at Best Value Seattle Inn

Friday, April  9

A free day!     Breakfast at the hotel, then walk 2 blocks to Seattle Center to do the following:

1.   Ride up the Space Needle

2.   Visit the Pacific Science Center (including an I-Max film)

3.   Visit the EMP Museum

4.   Lunch at the Food Pavilion (many  different fast food places to choose             from – a chance to sample many different foods)

5.   Ride the monorail from the Seattle Center to downtown Seattle to look around in the department stores, or Westgate mall.

6.   Everyone meet for dinner at ??????????at    6:00.

Saturday, April 10       Bus time    1 hour

                        Breakfast is at the hotel.

            8:30     Bus pick up from Best Value Seattle Inn  and travel to Sea-Tac airport

            9:00     Arrive at Sea-Tac airport for flight back to Norway!