Back to festivals
Go to websiteSee all editions of Kulturelt initiativ (19)
VårKlassisk
8. maj - 9. maj
Sandefjord
Three concerts on 8 and 9 May.
The association KULTURELT INITIATIV was founded on 9 May 1996 - and has throughout the years kept Norwegian cultural heritage alive. It is therefore a great pleasure to mark the 30th anniversary with Nasjonalromantiske vandringer - and a concert with Opus13 at the spring's big classical music festival!
Nasjonalromantisk vandring 1
The violinist Sonoko Miriam Welde performs the three wonderful Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Edvard Grieg together with the pianist Håvard Gimse - which must be spot on for a day like 8 May. The second of the sonatas is the work in which Grieg makes the most use of Norwegian folk music elements. Welde is now making a major international career and is probably the only one to have received Equinor's major talent prize twice - once as primarius of Opus13 and once as violin soloist. Gimse remains one of our great international pianists - and a good friend of Kulturelt Initiativ for 30 years.
Harmonie arena – Friday 8 May at 18.30
The day after - on 9 May - we hope you are ready for another trip!
Nasjonalromantisk vandring 2
The primal force of Norwegian music lies in the folk tunes - and in the Hardanger fiddle! Few performers can convey this «primal force» like the fiddler - and folk artist - Knut Buen. He takes us on a journey from the folk tunes onwards to the slåtter that Grieg arranged for piano - here played by Håvard Gimse. Our national song treasury is conveyed by the singers Mathilde S. Marjavara, Sakarias Tranvåg and Simen Bredesen - together with Gimse. Come along on a visit to composers such as Eivind Alnæs, Halfdan Kjerulf, Agathe Backer Grøndahl and onwards to Geirr Tveitt and Harald Sæverud.
Harmonie arena – Saturday 9 May at 14.00
Opus13 string quartet
The young string quartet Opus13 were «runners-up» in the quartet competition in Banff in Canada in 2022 - and then they won the International String Quartet Competition 2025 both at Wigmore Hall in London and in Bordeaux. In March they received the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award 2026 – a prize that will help them on to an international career that is now really taking off!
Recently they played «at home with» Joseph Haydn in Schloss Esterházy in Austria - and now they are coming here to Sandefjord to help celebrate Kulturelt Initiativ's 30th anniversary! They take us back to where it all started - that is, to Mozart and Mozarthaven – give us the string quartet Bumerang by Knut Vaage from 2011 – and finish with some «Intimate Letters» by Leos Janacek.
Harmonie arena – Saturday 9 May at 18.00
Tickets at kr 375,-/100,- (children/young people under 20) + fees at hjertnes.no
VårKlassisk subscription:
3 concerts for the price of 2 – kr. 750,-/200,- (children/young people under 20)
2 concerts for kr. 600,-/175,- (children/young people under 20)
Can only be booked at kultint@gmail.com
Upcoming concerts
Loading concerts …
Past concerts
- 9. May 2026VårKlassisk - Opus13 strykekvartettHARMONIE - Hjertnes, Sandefjord
- 9. May 2026VårKlassisk - Nasjonalromantisk vandring 2HARMONIE - Hjertnes, Sandefjord
- 8. May 2026VårKlassisk - Nasjonalromantisk vandring 1HARMONIE - Hjertnes, Sandefjord
Scandinavia's largest newsletter about classical music
Get an overview of upcoming concerts, festivals and selected recommendations from across the region.