Terje Tønnesen is one of Norway's foremost violinists and concertmasters. He made his debut in Oslo in 1972 and then studied at the Østlandets Musikkonservatorium with Kaare Sæther, before continuing his studies with Professor Max Rostal at the music conservatory in Bern.
From 1977 to 2021, Tønnesen was concertmaster and artistic director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, collaborating with Iona Brown for many years. He was first concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1983 to 2020 and has been artistic director of Camerata Roman/Camerata Nordica for 20 years.
Internationally, he has collaborated with Mstislav Rostropovich, Maurice André, and James Galway, among others, and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, artistic director, and concertmaster in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Outside the classical genre, he has been a soloist at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival and has participated in recordings with Terje Rypdal.
Tønnesen has made several CD recordings and has received a number of awards. As a composer, he has written music for a number of productions at several theaters.
In 2015, he was appointed Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav.
