The Norwegian Soloists' Choir

The Norwegian Soloists Choir has long stood as a fixture within Norway’s musical landscape, regularly advancing works by domestic composers. Its appeal rests partly on unusual continuity and a sharply defined identity: by the late 2010s the ensemble had been led by only two conductors across its seventy-year span. Founded in Oslo in 1950 under the auspices of the Norwegian Soloists Society, the group was established by conductor and organist Knut Nystedt, born in 1915 after he had already directed several choirs, among them a trade-union ensemble, during the 1930s and 1940s. Nystedt remained at the helm until 1990, when Grete Pedersen succeeded him.

At full strength the choir numbers 26 singers yet also performs choral chamber music with smaller configurations. Every member possesses formal musical training and professional experience and is engaged on a freelance basis. Especially during Nystedt’s tenure the choir became known for its advocacy of Norwegian composers, building a repertory that eventually surpassed seventy domestic works. Under his direction the singers toured Europe, visiting France and Germany, crossed the United States, traveled through East and Southeast Asia to Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan—including a 1982 visit to China—and appeared twice in Israel, in 1984 and 1988.

Pedersen enlarged the choir’s musical range and touring itinerary alike, arranging major journeys across the United States and Canada, to Japan, and to Spain in partnership with historical-performance specialist Fabio Biondi. Early recordings appeared chiefly on the Simax and Aurora labels. In 2007 the ensemble signed with the Swedish label BIS, thereafter issuing discs that also encompass non-Norwegian repertoire, among them the 2015 album Meins Lebens Licht, which featured music by Bach and by Knut Nystedt himself. A recording of Bach motets followed in 2017. In 2018 the choir released The Wind Blows: Music for Choir by Alfred Janson on BIS.