Through the concert series Tones from Tønnesen’s Time, music by female composers active during the same period as the sculptor Ambrosia Tønnesen is presented. Join us when soprano Lydia Hoen Tjore and pianist Christian Grøvlen perform works by the French composers Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (1857–1944) and Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847–1907).

TICKETS

Venue: The Vigeland Museum, Nobels gate 32
Time: 7 PM – 8 PM, the doors open at 6.30 PM
Admission: 50 kr
Capacity: Limited. We recommend buying a ticket in advance, as this event may sell out.

Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944) was a French composer and pianist celebrated in her time for her lyrical piano works, songs, and chamber music. In 1913, she became the first female composer to be awarded the Légion d’Honneur. Her artistry and pioneering role as a woman in music were widely praised; the composer Ambroise Thomas remarked, “This is not a woman who composes, but a composer who is a woman.”

Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847–1907) was a pioneering Norwegian pianist and composer, and one of the country’s most important female artists of the 19th century. Her music reflects the sensitivity and elegance of the Romantic era, characterized by distinctive melodic strength and emotional depth.

Soprano Lydia Hoen Tjore (b. 1994) was born and raised on Radøy near Bergen. She began her studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music at the age of 17, and completed her education at the Opera Academy in Copenhagen in 2018 as one of the youngest graduates ever. Lydia has been a soloist trainee at the Norwegian National Opera for two seasons, performing roles such as Adina, Zerlina, First Lady, and Micaëla. In 2021, she was a finalist in both the Vinceró World Singing Competition and the Queen Sonja International Music Competition, winning the Ingrid Bjoner Award in the latter. In 2024, she received 3rd Prize, the Audience Prize, the Critics’ Prize, and the Embassy Prize at the Renata Tebaldi International Singing Competition in San Marino. In recent seasons, she has performed roles such as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Mimì in La Bohème. She regularly performs with leading orchestras in Scandinavia and is also an active soloist in oratorio works, most recently with Oslo Cathedral Choir and Barokkanerne in Oslo Cathedral. Lydia now works as a freelance opera singer, performing widely both in Norway and abroad.

Christian Grøvlen (b. 1990) is a pianist educated at the Grieg Academy, the Norwegian Academy of Music, the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, and the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Deeply connected to Norwegian music, Grøvlen has premiered works by Norwegian composers, performs broadly within the standard repertoire, writes his own compositions, and currently serves as Director of the Composer Homes at Kode in Bergen.

Special thank you to The Ford Jebsen Collection for supporting the music program of the exhibition.