Schola Cantorum (Norwegian choir)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Schola Cantorum is a chamber choir from Norway. The choir was founded by composer and conductor Knut Nystedt in 1964, and has given valuable musical experience to generations of Norwegian musicians.[neutrality is disputed] Affiliated with the University of Oslo, Department of Musicology, the choir recruits most of their singers from this institution, as well as the Norwegian Academy of Music.
The American choral tradition in which the founder Nystedt was trained emphasises the importance of new music – a practice Nystedt brought back with him to Oslo. Knut Nystedt’s music became a vital element of Schola Cantorum’s repertoire.
Tone Bianca Sparre Dahl became conductor in 2002, and has further established the choir’s firm position in Norway’s musical life. She has continued Nystedt’s tradition of performing modern music. The repertoire consists of a mix of contemporary and older choir music, as well as folk music arrangements. In recent years the choir has increasingly focused on commissioned works from young Nordic composers.
Schola Cantorum has a varied repertoire that includes contemporary music, folk music and collaboration with the metal band Dimmu Borgir on their past two albums, Abrahadabra (2010) and Eonian (2018). In recent years the choir has visited Ukraine, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Russia, England and the Nordic countries. The choir collaborates regularly with leading musicians and ensembles such as the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Norwegian Wind Ensemble and Nordic Voices.
