20 applicants for three available spots

Interest is high: This year’s program has been expanded from 24 to 27 regular spots, three new participants have been admitted, after as many as 20 applied for the available places.

– At the moment, the program is only offered to string players and with limited capacity, but we already see that the demand is greater than we can meet, says artistic director Alf Richard Kraggerud. – This gives us inspiration to work toward a larger and stronger financial foundation so that more children can benefit from this opportunity in the future.

– Gnist is here to stay, he adds. – Children also need deeper immersion. This is not something that only develops later in life. Even younger children with a passion for music and the motivation to practice and play their instrument need more time with teachers and an environment of like-minded peers.

He points out that the motto of Valdres Summer Symphony has always been “only the best is good enough for children”– and that this is exactly what Gnist provides. – The participants grow when they get to meet leading artists, teachers, and performers in a program tailored especially for them, says Kraggerud.

Exciting guest teachers from the USA

This autumn, participants will also have the chance to meet two internationally renowned musicians.

The violist Sophie Arbuckle has extensive experience from both the USA and Europe, and teaches students at both Juilliard and the Royal College of Music. The violinist Arik Braude combines an international solo career with teaching as an associate professor at the Aaron Copland Conservatory and Mannes School of Music in New York. He has also served as a jury member at the Johannes Brahms Competition, and several of his students have won prizes and performed with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic.

The importance for local music schools

That the Gnist gatherings take place in Valdres is also important for the local music scene, emphasizes Susanne Engelmann, principal of Nord-Aurdal School of Music and Performing Arts:

– It is a very good program with high quality and great resources. It is very valuable for music school students to be part of a more ambitious environment.

She points out that the students grow from being part of the community:

– They inspire each other and feel that they are taken seriously. They also prepare thoroughly for the gatherings.

That the gathering is held in Fagernes also has ripple effects:

– It is very good that not everything takes place in Oslo. In addition to Ada (Vestre Slidre) and Thea (Nord-Aurdal) having a short travel distance, other students can also benefit from the great expertise that comes to Valdres during the Gnist gatherings. Our double bass students have already benefited from this opportunity.

Enthusiasm among the participants

One of this year’s participants, Eva Nuo Jiao (10), attends Grimstad School of Music, is very excited about the gathering:

– It is exciting to take part in Gnist because I get to meet good friends! I also get more opportunities to play in an ensemble and practice together with the pianist. Playing together with so many friends makes me motivated to practice more and do my best.

Eva is also looking forward to individual guidance:

– I hope to get one-on-one lessons with Alf Richard, so he can guide me in pieces such as Introduction and Tarantella and The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. I have also heard that a teacher from Juilliard (The Juilliard School is a private performing arts conservatory in New York, ed.) is coming, and I am curious to hear about musical life there.

For Noah Levang (9), who attends Haugesund School of Music, Gnist is about both learning and community:

– There are many talented children; you learn a lot in a short time and get to know new people from all over the country. It is great fun to have lessons with excellent teachers.

He is most excited about ensemble playing:

– I look forward to playing with the others and meeting friends I have met at Valdres Summer Symphony (the summer courses organized by Valdres Summer Symphony, ed.). I am excited about chamber music and orchestra, and also about playing and swimming with my friends.

Four days of music

Throughout the gathering, the participants receive close follow-up with individual lessons, ensemble and chamber music, orchestra work, and group rehearsals. There are also opportunities for several to perform as soloists in the concerts.

The public is invited to experience the results of their work when the participants give concerts: 

Friday and Saturday:
Lunch Concert: Solo Repertoire
Trykkeriet Kulturarena
2:00–3:15 PM

Sunday:
Final Concert: Chamber Groups, Folk Music and Soloist Groups
Trykkeriet Kulturarena
1:00–2:30 PM