Meet the musicians: Øystein Sonstad
interview
L
Live Klassisk4 min read|22. January 2025
Welcome to our interview relay with musicians from the classical music scene! Today we are delighted to introduce Øystein Sonstad. He works as a cellist. Here he shares his thoughts on classical music and recommends upcoming concerts for both new and experienced concertgoers!
Name, instrument and profession?
My name is Øystein Sonstad and I'm in my 46th year as a cellist (I started on the cello when I was 9, but I have probably thought and felt music for as long as I can remember). I gradually became part of the flourishing environment around the music school in Trondheim, and then there was no turning back. I studied at Norges musikkhøgskole for 6 years (with a break in Manchester) and have been a full-time professional musician ever since.
What are you working on at the moment?
For many years now I have alternated between performing chamber music (mainly in Oslo Strykekvartett, but also in Det norske kammerorkester, and now and then in Danmarks Underholdningsorkester with Adam Fischer (an unbeatable combination)) and arranging music for all sorts of contexts: Oslo Strykekvartett, Odd Nordstoga, Oslofilharmonien and so on. All in all I live and breathe being creative, and in addition to the above I am very curious about all kinds of technology and the possibilities it offers at concerts, with video, sound and light.
Most overrated composer or piece?
Hm, I'm not sure about that one. I find both joy in and objections to most works (a tendency you get from both playing and writing music yourself), and by and large I think it adjusts itself; the best composers and pieces survive.
And at the other end... which music should everyone really get to experience?
This is a bit easier, because I have a relationship with quite a lot of music that others don't fall for. For example, I am very fond of Elgar's chamber music, which many others are not necessarily so fond of. But I think that's because I experienced it in the right setting as a teenager, a time when there are fewer filters and stronger emotions at play. I have almost deliberately avoided playing such pieces myself, because I'm afraid the magic might disappear.
Your most recent great concert experience - what made it so special?
Any concert where the response is good and the feeling of creating something special is very satisfying, and since I play so much in Oslo Strykekvartett, that is probably where I experience it most often. But I must also mention the performance DSCH with Det norske kammerorkester, a project I have several fingers in, which each time, but most recently in London in June, was a spectacular success on many fronts.
Which living composer inspires you most, and why?
Hm, that one is difficult too. I have a mixed relationship with newly written music in the classical field, but I have always felt that Magnar Åm has moved me (which is a prerequisite for me to become enthusiastic). That doesn't mean I haven't also had good experiences with other composers, by all means.
Can you recall a single event or experience that made you want to commit to becoming a musician?
I actually think it was in the cards all along, ever since as a child I listened to music with the ears of a composer or arranger. It has struck me in recent years. But the great revelations of music and fellow musicians that I had in my teens were of course also contributing factors.
Do you have any role models? Has anyone been especially motivating or inspiring to you?
I can say right away that Brazz Brothers have resonated strongly with me, with their musicality, humour and ability to arrange music in all genres. Otherwise musicians such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Jaco Pastorius, the Guarneri Quartet, the Borodin Quartet, Arve Tellefsen,... well, the list could get long... shaped me at various stages. Since 2014 I have trawled YouTube for hours to experience the genius Cory Henry and the fusion band Snarky Puppy.
Do you have any advice for “new listeners” who are curious about classical music and don't go to concerts very often?
No, not really, other than that you should just go to concerts, listen to records and like what you like.
Any upcoming concerts you would recommend?
I'm a very lazy concertgoer, I must admit, so I don't keep up very well with concert life. I don't get to recommend my own concerts to friends and family either, so I have a bit to work with there😊. We in Oslo Strykekvartett hold our annual mini-festival KvarTettPå on 15 March in Majorstuen kirke, where we focus on the two very important women Nadia Boulanger and Elisabeth Sprague-Coolidge, who respectively taught and financially supported over 1200 composers and works during the first part of the 1900s. A lot of good came of that! Stock exchange and cathedral is probably what we call that festival.
Finally - who would you like to challenge to take over the baton?
I think I'll send the baton to Marianne Thorsen in Trondheim. We played a lot together when we were at the music school and she is a musician I admire.
Photo: Andrej Grilc