Det Norske Jentekor

Det Norske Jentekor, known in English as the Norwegian Girls Choir, stands as a cherished pillar of Norwegian cultural life and enjoys the patronage of Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Among its early participants were operatic sopranos Lilleba Lund and Elisabeth Norberg-Schulz, alongside jazz and pop artists Elin Rosseland and Anita Skorgan.

Established in 1947 as one of the performing groups linked to Norway’s state broadcaster NRK, the ensemble originally bore the name Norwegian Broadcasting Company Girls Choir. Danish conductor and music educator Marie Foss, who relocated to Norway following her 1938 marriage, served as its founding director and held the post until 1985. During her tenure she created the Studio Choir for members who had outgrown the primary ensemble and guided that group to three BBC choral competition victories. The main choir draws its singers from grades seven through ten, most of whom advance from an aspirant choir covering grades four through six, while a smaller number join from outside sources; the majority reside in the Oslo region.

Ingunn Bjorland assumed leadership in 1988 and was followed by Edle Stray-Pedersen; Barbro Karita Grenerson, herself an alumna of all three choirs, took the helm in 1995, the same year the ensemble adopted its present name. Grenerson remained until 2005, after which Anne Karin Sundal-Ask became director. The choir presents weekly Tuesday-evening concerts at Oslo’s Ruseløkka School.

Several Norwegian composers have composed works specifically for the group, which also joined other ensembles on Lawo Classics’ 2016 recording of Martin Romberg’s Witch Mass. Signed to the Norwegian audiophile label 2L, Det Norske Jentekor issued the album Folketoner in 2018, featuring folk songs, Romantic partsongs, and hymns.