Meet the musicians: Ida Løvli Hidle
interview
C
Concert Creator5 min read|28. March 2025
Welcome to our interview relay with musicians from the classical music scene! Today we have the pleasure of presenting Ida Løvli Hidle. She works as an accordionist and is an associate professor at Norges Musikkhøgskole. Here she shares her thoughts on classical music and recommends upcoming concerts for both new and experienced concertgoers!
Name, instrument and profession?
Ida Løvli Hidle, accordion, self-employed and employed at NMH
What are you up to at the moment?
Right now I am on maternity leave. At the same time I work one day a week as principal-study teacher in accordion at NMH. And I am also planning quite a few projects that will come when I am finished with maternity leave, but they are still a bit tbc.
Tell us one thing not many people know about you?
- It is many years since I listened to music (outside of work, of course). I like it best when it is completely, completely quiet. My husband thinks I am a psychopath and that he cannot take me seriously as a musician. I think it is about being so stimulated by listening to music that it is when it is completely quiet that I feel I can think clearly and am most creative.
Minister for classical music in Norway for one day - what would you do?
Protected the country's orchestras, closed down at least one music education institution (I think there are too many and that we do young people a disservice by offering too many places to study for a profession that is incredibly difficult to make a living from), created at least 5 new classical categories in the Spellemann Prize and returned it to NRK (I am aware that one cannot do that as a minister, but I choose to interpret the question as meaning that I am some kind of dictator minister), created more artist grants (possibly introduced a basic income), got more music into primary school, and more classical music (and by that I also mean contemporary music as part of classical music) on the big platforms NRK1 (TV and radio) etc (again: dictator minister :) )
Your latest great concert experience - what made it so special?
At the risk of sounding self-congratulatory, I almost have to mention a concert I played myself. I had just been in Trondheim playing Erlend Skomsvoll's accordion concerto "Clashes" with Trondheimsolistene. An incredibly powerful work about important themes that hits in a very special way. When I see audience members sitting there sobbing, I feel there is meaning in what I do. I won't say more. People will have to come to a concert next time.
Which living composer inspires you the most, and why?
I should actually say Sofia Gubaidulina here, but unfortunately she passed away on 13 March. I'll take the liberty of saying her anyway. There are many things that inspire me about her. She is the greatest/most internationally recognised composer who has contributed a significant number of works to the core repertoire of the accordion. Her music has so many layers, is so deep and is so well written for the instrument. I have been lucky enough to meet her a couple of times, and she is the kind of person who is hard to describe. But I get a feeling that this is a very wise person who has understood things that I can only dream of understanding.
Can you remember one single event or experience that made you want to pursue becoming a musician?
Yes, actually! I was on a kind of study trip to Mostar in Bosnia while I was in upper secondary school. (I think it was some twin-town project thing). Anyway; some of us from my upper secondary school were going to make a performance with some young people down there. The performance turned out so-so, as I remember it. But I had just learned "Flashing" by Arne Nordheim. We came up with the idea of making a picture collage to the music with the impressions we got from being down there. It was everything from bullet holes to cats, cemeteries and pictures of children from the orphanage where we were staying. After the concert a woman came over to me in tears (there we go again. Crying. It's obviously important to me), and said that no one had ever described/"put into words" the war in that way before. "Flashing" actually has nothing to do with war, but the beginning can be very reminiscent of an air-raid siren, so I believe she felt it was about the war. I learned afterwards that she had lost her entire family in the war. It was the first time I experienced that music, which I played, could mean something important to others. So it was an eye-opener for me, and inspired me a lot to apply to the conservatoire afterwards.
Do you have any role models? Is there anyone who has been especially motivating or inspiring to you?
Yes! Marit Bjørgen!
Do you have any advice for «new listeners» who are curious about classical music and don't go to concerts very often?
Hmmm...you could start with something a bit low-threshold, maybe? Opera pub or something like that? Or just go for it and buy a festival pass for some chamber music festival and go to all the concerts :)
Any upcoming concerts you would like to recommend?
Since I am on maternity leave I unfortunately can neither attend nor play many concerts at the moment, but here are three concerts I wish I could attend:
- "Jeg vil hjem til menneskene" with Susanna Wallumrød at Kloden Teater. Because Susanna has a completely fantastic voice and communicative ability, in addition to writing very beautiful music. Besides, Kloden teater is a really cool new venue in Groruddalen that more people should check out. 8-12 April
- Ksenija Sidorova at Operaen, Scene 2, 1 April
- Pong and Hekate - Hunting High and Low at Riksscenen on 28 March.
When I can't play anything myself because I am just at home with a baby, I'd rather recommend some colleagues :)
Finally - who would you like to challenge to take over the baton?
Caroline Eidsten Dahl and Maria Angelika Carlsen
Photo: Erika Hebbart