Festival Guide: Norway Rides the Wave
By now, we’ve probably been talking about the new (young) Norwegian folk music wave for so long that it can be considered part of the new normal. And thank goodness for that! Two artists demonstrate the breadth of this scene. Inger Hannisdal draws on both Arab and Norwegian traditions in a band that shows how what’s happening on this scene is also driven by a spirit of musical adventure. The trio Ævestaden are a sensation both live and on record, and are coming to interpret a folk music classic from 2001 – and 1934.
Inger Hannisdal
Kafé Hærverk
28 October
Over the past decade, violinist Inger Hannisdal has been a vital composer, musician and force in the Norwegian underground. She combines a tireless grassroots approach – both politically and culturally – with exceptional instrumental skill, and has been part of a wide range of ensembles alongside her own projects. What they often share is an exploration of the musical common ground between Arab and Norwegian traditions, as well as collaborations with musicians from jazz and European art music.
In 2022, she played the release concert for the excellent album North South East West at Oslo World. In 2025, she released both the moving conceptual solo album To long, longing, I have longed for so long // Saltwater Songs and the debut recording by the quartet Spove, who also played at our festival. This year, she presents new music with her band, featuring Khalid Laaouam on saxophone and percussion, Frode Haltli on quarter-tone accordion, Adrian Myhr on double bass and Andreas Winther on drums – an all-star lineup drawn from the very musical scene that seeks out meaningful spaces and productive friction between different traditions.
Read more and buy tickets HERE!
Ævestaden – Nivelkinn
Riksscenen
29 October
Several historical threads come together as Ævestaden interpret Nivelkinn at Oslo World this year. The poetic cycle Nivelkinn was written by Aslaug Vaa in 1934, as part of her first collection of poetry, Nord i leite. It takes the reader into the fantastical realm of Nivelkinn, which bears strong similarities to Kviteseid, where the poet spent much of her childhood.
In 2001, Øyonn Groven Myhren and Odd Nordstoga developed Vaa’s work further with their musical setting of the cycle. The recording of the original performance of Nivelkinn won the Spellemann Award in 2002 and has gone on to become a landmark work in contemporary Norwegian folk music.
So it was only natural, 25 years later, for Odd Nordstoga to approach one of the groups at the forefront of a new and vibrant generation in Norwegian folk music and ask whether they would like to create their own interpretation of Nivelkinn. The Swedish-Norwegian Ævestaden consists of Eir Vatn Strøm, Kenneth Lien and Levina Storåkern. The trio’s combination of traditional acoustic instruments and electronics brings out both catchy hooks and the trance-like, psychedelic qualities of folk music. Through a healthy mix of word-of-mouth buzz and hype, they have become firm favourites, both live and on record.
Read more and buy tickets HERE!
