Vivianne Sydnes
was Director of Music at Nidaros Cathedral from 2002-2012. Recording this work was one of the last projects under her leadership during her time in Trondheim.

Sydnes was educated as an organist and choirmaster at the Norwegian Academy of Music and has diploma in conducting from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where she studied under Anders Eby. At Nidaros Cathedral, Sydnes was conductor and artistic director of Nidaros Cathedral Choir, Nidaros Cathedral Oratorio Choir and also the professional vocal ensemble Nidaros Vocalis. Her choral activities included both the a cappella repertoire and major works for choir and orchestra. Sydnes collaborated regularly with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the Trondheim Soloists, the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra and the Norwegian Air Force Band, as well as with singers and instrumentalists from Norway and abroad. She led the premiere performances of a number of works by such composers as Gisle Kverndokk, Olav Anton Thommessen, Ståle Kleiberg, Henrik Ødegaard and Torbjørn Dyrud and helped to develop exciting new concepts of concert performance,not least the scenographic premiere of the work Out of Darkness.

In 2011 Sydnes was appointed associate professor of choral conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo where she is responsible for the new bachelor study in conducting. She is frequently used as an instructor in courses for choirs and conductors both in Norway and abroad, and is engaged as guest conductor by the Norwegian Soloist Choir.

From 2013, Vivianne is the conductor and artistic director of NOVA Chamber Choir.

Nidaros Cathedral Choir
was started in 1946 and consists today of about 40 singers. The choir gives numerous concerts every year and is commissioned to perform at church festivals and at national commemorative events. The choir also regularly contributes to church services at Nidaros Cathedral and at the annual St. Olav Festival. Through its activities, Nidaros Cathedral Choir has established itself as a major player in the musical life of the city of Trondheim.

In the course of Vivianne Sydnes’s ten years as artistic director, the choir has commissioned and performed a number of works by both young and established composers, among them Ståle Kleiberg, Henning Sommerro, Torbjørn Dyrud and Wolfgang Plagge. In 2010 the choir released their CD “Nidaros” which included samples from these works. In 2010 Nidaros Cathedral Choir premiered Torbjørn Dyrud’s passion music “Out of Darkness” in a scenographic performance in the cathedral. Other premieres in recent years have included works by Gisle Kverndokk, Olav Anton Thommessen and Jon Mostad.

From April 2013 the choir’s new conductor and artistic director is the Swedish organist and composer Fredrik Sixten.

strong>Geir Morten Øien
is employed by the Norwegian Air Force Band in Trondheim. He has studied at the Barratt Due Institute of Music and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.

strong>Erlend Aagaard Nilsen
studied at the Grieg Academy in Bergen and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Aagaard Nilsen is employed by the Norwegian Air Force Band, in addition to working as a soloist and freelancer.

strong>Lars Sitter
is percussionist in the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. He teaches at the Music Conservatory of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Lars Sitter is a sought-after chamber musician, giving school concerts, playing church music and contributing at many festivals.

strong>Sarah Head
is from London and studied at the Academy of Life and Recorded Arts (ALRA). She is both an actress and a singer and has taken part in numerous theatre, film, radio and television productions, primarily in the UK.