Since its humble beginnings, the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival has been an adventure.
The Trondheim Chamber Music Festival was established in 1996 as a small festival featuring friends and musicians from Trondheim, run by two friends from a studio bedroom and various café tables around Trondheim. Years later it has become one of the most innovative chamber music festivals in the world, based at Dokkhuset in the heart of Trondheim. The festival is attracting attention from all over the world.
“Founded 26 years ago, the little Festival still feels fresh.”
- Shirley Apthorpe, Slipped disc 23/9-22
Chamber music is communication on a high level, intimate, beautiful and challenging. Chamber music holds a central place in the hearts of and in the production of, our most respected and beloved composers of all periods. Since 1996 the festival has aimed to find the balance between being innovative, audience friendly and presenting a programme of high quality. Through the festival, the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition & Academy (TICC), give young international and national chamber music ensembles, the chance to develop their career.
The Festival aims to be a yearly international and national arena for chamber music in different genres of high quality and innovation, based in Trondheim. Ensemble music of high quality is not genre defined or art specific and therefore the festival presents concerts combining music with literature, dance, gastronomy, and the fine arts. In addition, the festival wants to offer concerts for children and families.
Contributing to the local music life is very important for the festival, which is arranged every September to cater to the city’s general population as well as the students who have returned from summer holiday. The festival artists are involved in a lot of different activities together with the local music scene, such as playing with local musicians and giving seminars and master classes at the NTNU Department of Music.
By constantly offering something extraordinary, the festival has managed to attract the attention of both regular concertgoers and those who don't usually go to concerts. In recent years, the proportion of young people/students in the audience has been around 45%. This is quite unique in today's classical music world.