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Oslo Domkor

Oslo Domkor (Oslo Cathedral Choir) is the principal choral ensemble of Oslo Cathedral and one of Norway's leading professional choirs. Under the artistic direction and conductorship of Cathedral Cantor Vivianne Sydnes, the choir performs both unaccompanied choral repertoire and major works for choir and orchestra.

Oslo Domkor has given world premieres of compositions by Lasse Thoresen, Torbjørn Dyrud, Andrew Smith, B. Morten Christophersen, and Gisle Kverndokk, among others. The choir has developed a strong position in Norwegian musical life under Sydnes' leadership and regularly appears in the context of cathedral worship, large-scale concerts, and recordings.

The choir's long tradition of excellence stretches back to the early 20th century, when Oslo Cathedral first became a central venue for choral music.

Vivianne Sydnes

Vivianne Sydnes is Cantor (choirmaster) at Oslo Cathedral and artistic director of Oslo Cathedral Choir. She regularly directs both unaccompanied choral repertoire and large-scale compositions for choir and orchestra, and has given world premieres of compositions by Lasse Thoresen, Torbjørn Dyrud, Andrew Smith, B. Morten Christophersen, and Gisle Kverndokk, among others.

Her work with the choir has enhanced its reputation and position in the musical life of Norway. Sydnes is a Professor of Choral Conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, responsible for the undergraduate programme in Choral Conducting and teaching students on the Church Music programme. She has also developed a web-based educational resource for choral conductors at vivianne.no.

She received a Bachelor's degree in Church Music from the Norwegian Academy of Music and a Master's diploma in Choral Conducting from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Between 2002 and 2012 Sydnes was Cantor at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.

She has directed several recordings, including Nidaros Cathedral Choir's recording of 'Out of Darkness' by Torbjørn Dyrud, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 in the category 'Best Choral Performance'.

Kåre Nordstoga

Kåre Nordstoga (b. 1954) studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music under Søren Gangfløt, Bjørn Boysen and Kaare Ørnung, among others. Following his debut concert in 1978, he continued his studies under David Sanger in London, and was for a time organist at Ullern Church before coming to Oslo Cathedral in 1984. He has also been associated with the Norwegian Academy of Music, where he was appointed professor in 1994.

As cathedral organist at Oslo Cathedral, Nordstoga frequently performs a large repertoire, which has included two popular concert series with Bach's complete organ works. His recordings include the organ music of Bach, Brahms, Franck, Widor and Liszt, all of Bach's violin sonatas recorded on the cathedral's chancel organ in collaboration with violinist Geir Inge Lotsberg, as well as several recordings of Norwegian organ music. Nordstoga is an active concert organist.

In recent years he has been soloist with the symphony orchestras of Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, and he has been invited to organ festivals abroad, including Aarhus, Notre Dame in Paris, and the Musashino Cultural Center in Tokyo. In 2006 he was awarded the Lindeman Prize for his active contribution to musical life.

Berit Norbakken

  Berit Norbakken is one of Scandinavia's most versatile sopranos. She masters a repertoire that ranges from baroque to contemporary music, including folk music. She is a regular soloist in oratorios and passions and regularly works with leading ensembles, orchestras and conductors in famous concert halls all over the world. 

This autumn she is currently recording Evening Hymn with the Arctic Philharmonic / Henning Kraggerud. She is also the recipient of the renowned Rolf Gammleng Prize, for her efforts as a performer on a number of recordings and concerts. 

For her many recordings, she has received rave reviews from the international music community. In particular, her recording of Arriaga's vocal music, together with the BBC Philharmonic under the direction of Juanjo Mena, has been particularly well received. 
Norbakken has performed in the Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, May Festival Cincinnati and in a large number of different concert programs throughout Europe.

As a fellow through the Program for Artistic Development, she has worked closely with the Swedish composer Karin Rehnqvist in her doctoral work. In the spring of 2024, she defended her doctoral thesis Borderland - in the voice.