Pierrot Lunaire, Schönbergs Masterpiece

About Pierrot Lunaire, with BIT20 og Tora Augestad

The Bergen-born singer and actress Tora Augestad has studied both classical music and jazz singing. Since then, she has devoted herself to the repertoire of Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, Luciano Berio, Arnold Schönberg, and contemporary composers.

Her versatility inspires composers, directors, and conductors, and she always seeks artistic exchange and new challenges.

Halldis Rønning from Bergen is a recognized Norwegian conductor, violinist, and artist.

She regularly conducts leading orchestras and ensembles at home and abroad, and she is particularly known for her commitment to contemporary music. The last time she conducted BIT20 was at the Ultima festival in Oslo in 2020.

In addition to being a conductor in the traditional sense, in recent years she has also moved towards a more creative performer role where she explores improvisation with orchestras, composition, and interdisciplinary projects. As a composer, she premiered her scenic work "Hrafntinna" at the Icelandic Opera in 2022.

She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in conducting at the University of Stavanger, and her final concert will be with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in August 2025.

Practical information

It will be possible to buy tickets for each individual concert at the entrance on the day of the concert, subject to availability.

Included in the ticket: At 2:15 PM, there will be a concert talk in the café with this year's resident composer Andreas Gundersen, curator Monica Jangaard, and facilitator Maike Flick.

The concerts last approximately one hour.

The concert ticket also includes entrance to the museum and Grieg's villa.

The museum is open as usual, offering guided tours of the villa, a free audio guide for the outdoor areas, a café, and exhibitions.

The other two concerts in the deal:

4th February: Yukari Ohno

We welcome the star violinist and winner of the Princess Astrid International Music Prize in Trondheim in 2021.

Yukari Ohno, born in Japan in 1995, started playing the violin at the age of two and has established herself as an outstanding and versatile violinist on the international stage.

She has impressed internationally by winning prizes in competitions such as Valsesia Musica International Competition in Italy, International Violin Competition Vasco Abadijev in Bulgaria, International Queen Sophie Charlotte Violin Competition in Germany, and International Competition for Young Violinist in Honor of Karol Lipinski and Henryk Wieniawski in Poland.

14th April: Matyáš Novák

Matyáš Novák has distinguished himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation through his extraordinary harmonic expression, extensive repertoire, and unique way of playing.

Matyáš Novák was born in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. He began studying piano and violin at the age of five. Novák graduated from the Imola International Piano Academy in 2022, where he studied with Boris Petrushansky.

He has previously studied at the Pardubice Conservatoire in the Czech Republic under Jitka Fowler Fraňková. Currently, Novák is attending the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, in the class led by Professor Ivan Klánský.