Gupta tilbake på podiet

Rolf Gupta is currently a freelance composer, conductor, and professor of classical music at the University of Agder (UiA). He is currently the recipient of a three-year government artist grant to compose music. Gupta served as artistic director and chief conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Sør from 2005 to 2013. 

Kristiansand Municipal Music School

Rolf Gupta himself benefited greatly from municipal music education. As a child, he studiedpianoand violin at the Kristiansand Municipal Music School with Ellen Breen, Günther Voss, Max Balchen, Bengt Åslund, Leif Nielsen, and Alf Bjørgum Argento. In the Kristiansand Spelemannslag folk music group, he learned to play the Hardanger fiddle with Otto and Halfdan Furholt. 

From the age of 13, Rolf took private lessons in music history with Harald Glattre, composition with Johan Varen Ugland, piano with Tone Mjaasæth, and organ with Ian Richards and Johan Gjendem. Rolf’s first conducting teacher was Jon Robertson, the former chief conductor of the KSO, and he made his conducting debut with the orchestra in 1985.

He later studied church music at the Agder Conservatory of Music, composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and orchestral conducting at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, the Sibelius Academy, and the St. Petersburg Conservatory. 

"Work of the Year"

To mark the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra’s 75th anniversary, Gupta composed the orchestral work *Chiaroscuro*, which has since been performed by most Norwegian orchestras. At the cathedral, he served as artistic director of the International Church Festival in Kristiansand from 2000 to 2008.

In connection with the KSO’s 100th anniversary in 2019,he composed*Jordens sang* (Song of the Earth), tailoredfor three of the city’s adult choirs and the cathedral’s boys’ choir. The work has been performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and this summer by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra at Nidaros Cathedral. Together with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and conductor Peter Szilvay, he received the Critics’ Award for the work, which was also named “Work of the Year” by the Norwegian Composers’ Association. 

"The Song of the Earth" will bereleased on CD later this year, featuring the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Soloists' Choir, the Sølvguttene, and the children's choir of the Norwegian Opera & Ballet.

We hope everyone involved has a great time on Thursday!