Eldbjørg Hemsing


Eldbjørg Hemsing is a Norwegian violinist known for her interpretations of both classical and contemporary repertoire. She has premiered numerous works by composers such as Tan Dun and Anders Hillborg and has performed at international venues, including the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and the United Nations. Hemsing has released several recordings and is involved in initiatives promoting classical music to broader audiences. She is the younger sister of the Norwegian violinist Ragnhild Hemsing.
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Early life and education

Born in Valdres, Norway, Hemsing began playing the violin at the age of five. Her mother, Bente Hemsing, was also a violinist and became her first teacher.
Hemsing performed for the Norwegian royal family by the age of six. At seven-years-old, she was accepted into the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, where she studied under and Stephan Barratt-Due. She later trained with Professor Boris Kuschnir. In 2012, she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.

Career

Hemsing has performed with orchestras such as the Oslo Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared at venues including Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
She maintains a close collaboration with composer Tan Dun, performing his Hero Concerto with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. She premiered his Triple Resurrection Concerto in Leipzig and Shanghai with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2010, she premiered Tan Dun's violin concerto The Love with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra at the World Expo in Shanghai. She also premiered his The Fire Rituals with the Chinese National Orchestra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (China).
In 2021, she recorded Anders Hillborg’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Liquid Marble with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen; the album was released in 2024 and won the Spellemannprisen for Classical Music that year.
In 2023, Hemsing released Arctic with the Arctic Philharmonic and conductor Christian Kluxen, a project highlighting the natural soundscapes of the Arctic region. The album received the Opus Klassik Award in the "Classic without Limits".
Her discography also includes a 2020 recording of Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonatas with pianist Simon Trpčeski, featuring her own composition "Homecoming," which won the Spellemannprisen for Classical Music in 2020.
In 2022, she signed with Sony Classical, and later, in 2024, she was signed by Epstein Fox Performances.

Projects and advocacy

Hemsing co-founded Hemsing Festival in Valdres, and serves as artistic director of SPIRE, a mentoring program for young artists. She is also a senior artistic advisor for the Advisory Board for the Arts.

Instrument

Hemsing plays a 1707 Antonio Stradivari violin, known as the "Rivaz, Baron Gutmann," on loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation. She also plays the traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle.

Notable recordings

Hemsing's recording of a violin concerto by Hjalmar Borgstrøm with Wiener Symphoniker, directed by Olari Elts, was released worldwide by BIS in 2018, and included performances by Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra ; Szczecin Philharmonic ; Bergen International Festival in Norway; and Paavo Järvi's Pärnu Festival in Estonia.
In 2020, Hemsing released a recording of Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonatas with pianist Simon Trpčeski. The album also featured her own composition, Homecoming, and was awarded the 2020 Spellemannprisen in the Classical Music category.
In 2023, she released an album, Arctic, recorded with the Arctic Philharmonic and Christian Kluxen. The album won the Opus Klassik Award in the category Classic without Limits.
In 2021, Hemsing recorded Anders Hillborg’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Liquid Marble with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The album was released in 2024 and received the Spellemannprisen in the Classical Music category the same year.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Competitions and awards

Hemsing received third prize in Eurovision Young Musicians 2008. Hemsing is also a two time Spellemannprisen award winner. She first won in 2020 for her recordings of the Grieg Sonatas, which she released with pianist Simon Trpčeski. She won again in 2024 for her album Hillborg: Violin Concerto No. 2/Liquid Marble. Her 2023 album Arctic received the Opus Klassik Award in the category Classic without Limits.