Ready for Young Classical

“Just think, in a few days I’ll be standing up there myself,” says Catherine Lifei Thibault (right) with a look of anticipation, pointing to what is the premier venue for classical music in Southern Norway: Konsertsalen performing arts centre Kilden performing arts centre.

When she was eight years old, she had her very first violin lesson at the Culture School, and her goal is to keep playing for many years to come. She talks about her plans for the coming years when it comes to music education, but for her, what’s happening in Kristiansand on Thursday, March 17, is a dream she’s had for several years.

– It feels pretty surreal

“I remember seeing the symphony orchestra perform at a concert when I was nine, and I remember asking my teacher if I could play with them one day too. “On Thursday, that’s actually going to happen, and it feels pretty surreal,” says the 15-year-old, who is being taught by KSO’s own Adam Gruchot and Alf Rikard Kaggerud at Barrat Due in Oslo.  

Singer Pauline Reidun Strand Aase is currently pursuing her own education; she is currently in her first year of a master’s program in opera performance at the Opera School at KHiO in Oslo.

Making a living from opera

“My big dream is, of course, to make a living singing opera, but after I finish my master’s degree, I’d really like to get an internship at an opera house somewhere in Europe,” says Pauline, continuing:

– But first up is Ung Klassisk, and for me—since I usually sing accompanied only by a pianist—this is going to be an experience I’ll cherish for a long time. I’m incredibly excited!

Ung Klassisk 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. For more than ten years, the project has showcased the region’s finest classical talents in concerts alongside the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.

Program, Young Classical, March 17, 2022:

Modest Mussorgsky: A Night on Bald Mountain (1867)
Henryk Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 2 (1856–62) – I. Allegro moderato II. Romance
Charles Gounod: “Juvelarien,” from Faust (1859)
Giacomo Puccini: “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta,” from La rondine (1917)
Gian Carlo Menotti: “Steal Me, Sweet Thief,” from The Old Maid and the Thief (1939)
Jules Massenet: “Gavotte,” from Manon (1884)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, fantasy overture (1869)

Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl