When I am in Bergen, I can focus on my music.
Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen wants to contribute to the development of excellent young musicians in Bergen/Norway and has supported the Professor Jiri Hlinka piano academy since 2018. The academy offers high quality intensive piano training by some of Norway’s most accomplished pianists. Up to three piano master classes per year take place in the building of the Rasmussen collection (former Reksten collection) in Bergen. The building also houses an extensive collection of artworks and oriental carpets.
Photo: Anja Hegen, SKGJ
The students receive accommodation and meals (travel is not included) and are free to practice on one of the buildings´ several grand pianos from prestigious brands like Bechstein or Steinway. Among the academy´s regular artistic advisers are Leif Ove Andsnes, Håvard Gimse and Christian Ihle Hadland who regularly invite international pianists as guest professors. For the masterclass in November Professor Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist, head of the piano department at Ingesund school of music at Karlstad University will join the team of artistic advisers. For the first time two young students from the nasjonalt klavertiltak (a Norwegian talent program for musicians between 12 and 19 years) were invited to the September master class for a secondment where they listened to the masterclasses, practiced on the grand pianos and received a one-to-one lesson from an artistic adviser.
Behind the scenes the Jiri Hlinka piano academy general manager organizes the master classes among other duties and assists the students during their stay. Laila Nordø had the position until 2024, now her colleague Ole Albrekt Nedrelid has taken over.
Photo: Anja Hegen, SKGJ
The students at the piano academy typically come from all over the world and are offered time to refine one or more piano pieces of their choice with each of the three or four artistic advisers during their stay. They can also join a social program which for example includes a visit to classical concerts in Grieghallen.
Foto: Anja Hegen, SKGJ
But what do the students think about joining master classes in Bergen, why do they apply and what might make them come back?
To find out, we interviewed two participants of the September masterclass: Jan Škrobánek is from the Czech Republic and studies currently towards a master’s degree in piano at the Sibelius Academy (SibA) in Helsinki, Finland.
Oskar Abel V. Halvorsen has a master’s degree in piano from the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) in Oslo and currently studies towards a master’s degree in composition in Vienna.
How did they learn about the Master classes and why did they join?
Jan is a first-time participant who had originally heard about the master classes a couple of years ago in his hometown Prague, where Professor Jiri Hlinka is still treasured as a teacher of music. Jan wanted to meet like-minded people and to get new insights into his play, so the advertisement for the current master class came just at the right time. He values the experience of meeting new teachers whose style of teaching is different from those at SibA.
Even though participants must pay a small fee to attend, he agrees with Oskar that participating in the master class is not expensive compared to similar classes elsewhere and having on-site accommodation and food included takes away the stress of thinking about this during time that should be devoted to artistic development. Both mention that they found that talent mattered in the selection process, not the student´s ability to pay, this promotes equality.
Oskar has already joined several master classes in Bergen and is happy to reconnect with his former piano teachers from Oslo, which he feels lets him continue the piano-related part of his education. He sees it as an advantage that the regular group of artistic advisers from Norway changes very little. The NMH teachers initially told him about the master classes and now he tries to join regularly, because he feels that the quality of the teaching and the follow-up he receives by the teachers is so helpful.
Do they have any suggestions to make the masterclasses even better?
When being asked about something they would like to change, Oskar and Jan must think for a longer time. The only thing they would wish for is that the lessons could be a bit longer, at the moment each artistic adviser works with their student for 45 minutes which according to the young musicians passes by too quickly. Both also agree that the environment at the Rasmussen collection is one of its kind, the large halls and fine art make an inspiring surrounding. They also joke about a ghost that might haunt the halls during the night playing the piano, that no one has seen yet.
Which advice would they give to young students or their younger self?
Jan chuckles and says that he would tell his younger self not to be afraid of committing to a career in music and to take practice seriously. Oskar thinks that more patience, letting your talent develop and being open to new possibilities are excellent advice for both his younger self and for other musicians.
The next masterclass will take place November 24th-30th at the Rasmussen collection. Everyone is welcome to listen, entry is free. The schedule and the participants will be published on the website of the piano academy.
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Frontpage: Master class with artistic adviser Christian Ihle Hadland. Foto: Anja Hegen, SKGJ
