Artists 2026
The artists 2024
-
BE TALERKO
Latvian soprano Vera Talerko is a winner of Wilhelm Senhammar International Music Competition 2022. "Talerko has an engagingly rich, full voice that glides effortlessly up and down coloratura runs" according to bachtrack.com
In the spring of 2023 Vera successfully appeared on the main stage of the Hamburg state opera in the world premiere of "Venere e Adone" (S.Schiarrino) conducted by Kent Nagano.
-
BERGSVEIN TOOVERUD
Norwegian tenor Bergsvein Toverud heralded for his, “clarion tenor”, recently completed a season as a Bonfils-Stanton Artist at Central City Opera in Colorado, USA where he covered and performed Romeo in Romeo et Juliette. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Bailey Apprentice Artist Training program at Palm Beach Opera in Florida, USA.
-
Aleksander Nohr - Schaunard
Aleksander Nohr is a Norwegian baritone, recognised for his warm, lyrical voice and strong stage presence. He is a permanently employed soloist at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in Oslo, where he regularly appears in roles such as Dandini (La Cenerentola), Schaunard (La Bohème), and Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress). He has performed with leading Nordic orchestras and opera companies and is also an acclaimed interpreter of oratorio and lied repertoire.
-
John Daugherty - Marcello
John Daugherty is an American baritone known for his warm tone and expressive stage presence. He has performed leading and supporting roles with opera companies in the United States and internationally, spanning a wide range of standard repertoire.
He appears as Marcello in La bohème, bringing vitality, lyricism, and dramatic nuance to one of opera’s most beloved baritone roles.
-
Edgars Ošleja - Colline
Edgars Ošleja is a Latvian bass-baritone recognized for his dark timbre, musical sensitivity, and strong stage presence. He has performed a wide range of roles in the operatic repertoire across Europe, appearing with opera houses and festivals in both leading and supporting roles.
He appears as Colline in La bohème, bringing depth and humanity to the philosopher of the Bohemian circle, most notably in Colline’s poignant farewell aria.
-
Pietro Simone - Benoit
Pietro Simone is an Italian bass-baritone with a long international career as both soloist and ensemble singer. He has performed at major opera houses including Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
Since 2013, he has been based in Oslo and is a permanent member of Den Norske Opera & Ballett, where he appears regularly as both soloist and chorus member. He is also highly regarded as a language coach, specializing in Italian diction and interpretation.
-
César Cañón - Pianist
César Cañon is a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor. He is a full-time répétiteur and conductor with Den Norske Opera & Ballett, where he works closely with singers and productions across the operatic repertoire.
Originally from Colombia, he enjoys an active international career with engagements throughout Europe, the United States, and South America. His appearances include institutions such as the Kennedy Center, the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Opera.
In addition to his performance work, César is active as a teacher and coach, and has been a guest artist at universities and music institutions in the United States, Colombia, and Norway. He is also a teaching artist at the Music Academy of the West, and regularly collaborates as a guest member of the music staff with both San Francisco Opera and Vienna State Opera.
-
Bjørn David Fevåg (DAVIDO) - Magician
Magician DAVIDO – Bjørn David Fevåg – is a legendary figure in Norwegian magic, known from decades of television appearances. He is the only Norwegian two-time FISM World Champion, winning titles in Manipulation (1982) and Stage Magic (1985), and holds a Guinness World Record as the world’s fastest magician.
With over 50 years on stage, Davido continues to perform internationally and is an active force in preserving and developing the magic arts in Norway.
Gamle Logen
-
Stefan Ibsen Zlatanos - Pianist
Stefan Ibsen Zlatanos (b. 1984) is a sought-after pianist and versatile musician, active both as a soloist and collaborative artist. His repertoire spans classical music, jazz, pop, contemporary music, and folk traditions from Greece and Norway.
He performs regularly in Norway and abroad with Alexander Rybak and collaborates frequently with leading Norwegian opera singers and artists. As a soloist, he has appeared with ensembles such as the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and the Follo Chamber Orchestra. Stefan is a répétiteur for Cæciliaforeningen and Oslo Cathedral Choir, has worked extensively with children’s choirs, and has served as music director for Rudrevyen and Nissenrevyen.
Stefan holds a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music, studying with Liv Glaser and Einar Henning Smebye, with exchange studies at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik Berlin. His solo album Preludium was released on Bech&Shai in 2016.
-
Sara Aasen
Sara Aasen is a Norwegian soprano educated at the F. Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and the Opera Academy at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, where she completed her Master’s degree in Opera in 2017. During her studies, she performed roles such as Clarice (L’amante di tutte) and Hanne (Die Jahreszeiten), and appeared in productions with the Polish National Opera and the Lower Silesia Philharmonic Orchestra.
In Oslo, she sang leading roles including Countess Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), and studied Leonora (Il Trovatore). After graduating, she received a grant from the Norwegian Culture Council.
Sara is also active in opera outreach and co-created Operahistorien på 60 minutter – hvis vi rekker det, performed over 150 times across Norway. Recent highlights include Countess Almaviva in Italy (2021) and Wellgunde in Rhingold with Bergen National Opera’s summer program (2024).
-
Edgars Osleja
-
John Daugherty
-
César Cañón
-
Maria Eikefet
-
Julie Yuqing Ye
Julie Yuqing Ye is a classical pianist based in Oslo, active as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed at leading venues including the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, Oslo Concert Hall, and Wigmore Hall in London. Passionate about reaching new audiences, she is also known for her work with interdisciplinary projects and lesser-known repertoire. Her debut album From the Archives features piano sonatas by Pauline Hall and Geirr Tveitt.
Oslo Symphony Orchestra
Oslo Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra based in Oslo, performing a wide range of symphonic and concert repertoire. The orchestra collaborates regularly with conductors, soloists, and cultural institutions, and is an active contributor to the city’s musical life.
Dance Music and Art
Oslo Operaball presents a rich musical program where live dance music and artistic expression come together in historic surroundings. Throughout the evening, the venue is filled with sounds ranging from Kven dance traditions to classical waltzes, performed by artists deeply rooted in tradition and personal artistic expression.
Artistene 2025
-
Vera Talerko - Soprano
Latvian soprano Vera Talerko is known for her expressive voice and strong presence in both opera and concert repertoire, with appearances at major European opera houses.
-
Jonas Hacker - Tenor
American tenor Jonas Hacker is praised for his warm, lyric sound and versatility, performing a wide range of roles from Mozart to contemporary repertoire.
-
Jiří Rajniš - Baritone
Czech baritone Jiří Rajniš is an internationally active singer with a broad operatic repertoire and regular appearances across Europe.
-
Ian Spinetti - Tenor
Brazilian tenor Ian Spinetti is a dynamic performer with experience on European and American stages, currently active in German opera houses.
-
Eugenia Babich
Mezzo-soprano Eugenia Babich is an internationally performing artist with a strong presence in opera, sacred music, and concert repertoire.
-
Hanne Marit Mordal Iversen & Revaz Abramia - Soprano & Pianist
Soprano Hanne Marit Mordal Iversen and pianist Revaz Abramia appear regularly together in recital and ensemble projects, combining refined vocal artistry with sensitive and close musical collaboration.
-
César Cañón
César Cañon is a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor, and a full-time répétiteur at Den Norske Opera & Ballett with an active international career.
-
Gintare Elena Macijauskiene
Lithuanian pianist Gintarė Elena Macijauskienė is active as a soloist and chamber musician, with a background in piano performance and pedagogy.
Artistene 2024
-
VERA TALERKO
Latvian soprano Vera Talerko is a winner of Wilhelm Senhammar International Music Competition 2022. "Talerko has an engagingly rich, full voice that glides effortlessly up and down coloratura runs" according to bachtrack.com
In the spring of 2023 Vera successfully appeared on the main stage of the Hamburg state opera in the world premiere of "Venere e Adone" (S.Schiarrino) conducted by Kent Nagano.
-
Emma Sventelius
Emma Sventelius, born and raised in Lund in the south of Sweden, began to study music in 2011 at Vadstena Vocal and Piano Academy. After two years in Vadstena, Emma studied a Bachelor of Voice at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
-
BERGSVEIN TOVERUD
Norwegian tenor Bergsvein Toverud heralded for his, “clarion tenor”, recently completed a season as a Bonfils-Stanton Artist at Central City Opera in Colorado, USA where he covered and performed Romeo in Romeo et Juliette. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Bailey Apprentice Artist Training program at Palm Beach Opera in Florida, USA.
-
MATHILDA GOIKE
Swedish mezzo-soprano Mathilda earned her classical singing degree at the Piteå Academy of Music.
She trained under Katherine Osborne and won the "Kungliga Skytteanska Samfundet's award for young musicians" in 2022. Mathilda played Jo in Mark Adamo's Little Women, performed in Jan Sandström's Nightingale's premiere, and joined the chorus for Puccini's Suor Angelica while studying. In the summer of 2023, she starred in Verdi's Macbeth at Läckö Castle in Sweden.
-
TOMAS KILDIŠIUS
Baritone Tomas realizes an important part of his creative life in the Lied genre.
He is a storyteller, therefore he pays special attention to articulation and clarity of the text and is being praised for his "incredible way of inhabiting the stage" by the press. "Flawless" is what the Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung wrote about the singer's pronunciation.
-
HANNAH EDMUNDS
The soprano Hanna just finished her bachelor's at the University of Stavanger under professor Elizabeth Norberg-Schultz.
Despite her young age, Hannah has already performed a number of concerts in Norway, as well as Italy. In 2021, she debuted in Sandnes cultural center as Nella in Opera Rogaland's production of Puccini's opera, Gianni Schicchi and repeated this role in Palermo, Sicily in the summer of 2022 during Opera Rogaland's tour.
-
CÉSAR CAÑÓN
Equally devoted to instrumental chamber music as he is to art song and operatic repertoire, the pianist César Cañón alternates his activity as a pianist with vocal coaching, teaching and conducting.
His concert appearances include the Kennedy Center, the Norwegian National Opera, Detroit Symphony, and San Francisco Opera's Taube Atrium Theater at the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera.
-
GINTARE-ELENA MACIJAUSKAIT
In 2015 the pianist completed her degree in solo piano and piano pedagogy at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater under the guidance of Arūnas Staškus, Irena Uss-Armonienė (Vocal Chamber Music) and Donatas Katkus (Chamber Music).
-
OLESYA TUTOVA
Olesya Tutova is a prize-winner of several international piano and chamber music competitions, she graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Olesya is an Opera Repetiteur and Head of Music at the Opera Academy in Oslo.
She has been a pianist-accompanist at the International Stanislaw Moniuszko Vocal Competition (2013, 2016), the International Tchaikovsky competition (2015), the Queen Sonja International Music Competition (2019, 2023).
