Jubilation among young composers
Good news from the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra:
Here are the winners of Young Composition
The room erupted in cheers when the students whose compositions are set to be performed alongside the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra were told that their entries had made the cut. On May 23, it’s time for “Young Classical + Young Composition” atperforming arts centre Kilden performing arts centre.
“It was so much fun to win! At first I thought it was a substitute teacher who had come into the classroom, so I was really confused at first. But then I realized that it was actually true—our class had won—and I was so happy,” says one of the winning students, Adele Venås (11), at Kringsjå School in Kristiansand.
This week, Adele and the rest of the fifth-grade class received the news that their class had won Skapia’s Young Composition Competition, in which students from schools across Agder and Telemark participated. This means that the students themselves will perform their composition alongside the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra during the concert at Kilden May Kilden .
Teacher Janne Epland was also thrilled after the announcement. She believes the students have an unforgettable experience ahead of them.
“I think it’s incredibly valuable that the students get the chance to meet the talented musicians in the symphony orchestra and, not least, to perform their own composition alongside them. I think it will be an unforgettable musical experience for all of us. We’re looking forward to the concert,” she says.
The second winning entry in the Young Composition competition is from the 8th grade at Hisøy School in Arendal. “As a teacher, I think the program has been absolutely fantastic. It has been a complete, thorough teaching program that has given us the opportunity to prioritize creative music with the students, something I see great value in,” says Oline Meland, music teacher at Hisøy School.
“I believe that working through a process fosters a lot of learning, and collaboration is, for me, one of the most important aspects of music education. Through this program, we had the opportunity to work on both melody and lyric writing. The fact that the final product was to be submitted to professionals was motivating for the students, and we’ve also had some wonderful moments with performances afterward,” Meland continues.
“I have mixed feelings about winning, because I’m not really the type who likes being on stage,” says Ole (13), while Carl Oscar (13) thinks there were many other great entries:
– “I think it’s fun that we won Skapia. There were a lot of other great songs in the class, and I think it was unique and cool that our group won.”
In addition to the student performances, the audience will also have the opportunity to hear two young soloists selected through the "Young Classical" project. The soloists are Yeva-Yevheniia Brazul-Brushkovska (piano) and Zongting Li (bassoon). The concert on May 23 will be conducted by Torodd Wigum.
The Skapia Foundation invites schoolchildren and young people across the country to explore their musical creativity through "Young Composition." Kilden performing arts centre their partner in the Agder and Telemark region. Young Classical is a collaborative project between the Agder Music Council, the Municipality of Arendal, the Norwegian Council for Cultural Schools in Agder, the University of Agder, the Risør Chamber Music Festival, and the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.