Professional council

Photo: Birgit Solhaug og BERRE Kommunikasjonsbyrå.

Morten Wensberg

Leader of the Professional council

Morten Wensberg is the dean of the Faculty of performing arts at the University of Stavanger. Before he became dean, he was head of the conducting department 2010-2017, and under his innovative leadership this department had grown exponentially in both number of students and in recognition. Wensberg is the creator of «Conductor's Week» - Norway's largest conducting course, which takes place at UiS each summer. Wensberg is the inventor of the platform and concept of the UiS «Digital conducting studies» - a pioneering effort in combining new, digital and internet based teaching with the best of traditional teaching formats. He is also the creator of Opptakt - a national career development and career launching program for young, aspiring Norwegian conductors, which involves the majority of the professional symphony orchestras in Norway. Since 2006 he has been guest conductor with a number of orchestras and ensembles in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the United States.

Hans Josef Groh

Hans Joseph Groh studied at E.T.A. Hoffmann-Gymnasium Bamberg, cello with Martin Ostertag at Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, and with Valentin Erben at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. Chamber music studies with Jörg Wolfgang Jahn, and seminars with Franco Rossi, William Pleeth, Anne Bylsma and André Navarra. He has been awarded with Spellemannsprisen in 2010 for the album «Die 7. Himmelsrichtung». He is a member of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Oslo Sinfonietta and Oslo Session Strings. He has previously been a teacher at Barratt Due Institute of Music, member of Ensemble 13 / Baden-Baden, soloist at Karlsruhe Chamber Orchestra and teacher at the Badisches Conservatory.

Grete Pedersen

Grete Pedersen, studied conducting with Kenneth Kiesler, and choral conducting with Terje Kvam and Eric Ericson. She is internationally acclaimed for her stylistically assured and musically convincing performances of baroque music, classical repertoire and contemporary music. For her work in bringing Norwegian folk music and traditional singing into the field of choral music she is regarded as a pioneer. She is professor of choral conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music and is in demand as guest conductor for various professional choirs in Europe. In 1984 Grete Pedersen founded the Oslo Chamber Choir, of which she remained the conductor until 2004. Most recently she has worked with the Rundfunkchor Berlin, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart and Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks. 

 

Ole Kristian Ruud

Ole Kristian Ruud made his conducting debut with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985. He quickly established himself as a guest conductor with all the Norwegian symphony orchestras. He has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of Norwegian repertoire for Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. He was also in the post of Artistic Director of the Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces. In Scandinavia he regularly conducts the Oslo- and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestras, Trondheim- and Stavanger Symphony Orchestras, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Swedish Radio, Norrköping Symphony, Lahti Symphony and Stockholm Chamber Orchestras. He has also guested orchestras in France, Spain, England, USA and Japan.

Eivind Aadland

Eivind Aadland's extensive work with Scandinavian orchestras includes regular guest engagements with the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonics, the Gothenburg Symphony and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In addition Aadland has conducted critically acclaimed productions of Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte and Die Fledermaus for Den Norske Opera, Oslo. Aadland has also worked extensively in the Far East and Australia. In 2010 he led the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra on a seven-concert tour to China and made his debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. In 2011 he launched his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane. Eivind Aadland is a frequent visitor to the Oslo Philharmonic and WDR Symphony Orchestra Köln. He has also worked with orchestras such as Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Belgique, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.