Musician, Educator, Composer, Producer, Recording Artist, Choral Conductor
Ambos
Traditional Music in the Family Line
Shared Accomplishments
Silje (pronounced "Sil-ee-yuh" - born October 2, 1988) and Hogne (pronounced "Hog-in-uh" - born March 5, 1993) are the children of Hilde Midtbø and Lars Vevle. Both started playing hardanger fiddle at age five, studying with Norwegian hardanger fiddle instructors Jon Jelmert and Håkon Høgemo (two time Norwegian national hardanger fiddle champion) as well as studying solo piano locally with Anne Lise Fjelland and playing standard violin.
Both have competed at various Norwegian fiddle contests in solo and mass group classes for hardanger fiddle, and both are members of their local fiddle and dance group Osterøy Spel- og Dansarlag, having appeared on their 2003 album release "Spikjespel", where Hogne appeared with the group's junior fiddlers and Silje as a soloist. They also appeared as members of the troupe's 2012 album release, "Fela Liv". Both have appeared as soloists and as a duet at various community events on the island of Osterøy, including May 17th (Norwegian Constitution Day) celebrations, Osterøyfestivalen and the 200th anniversary of the birth of legendary Norwegian violinist Ole Bull. They have performed at public and private functions in the regions of Osterøy and the City of Bergen and area, including invited soloists with regionally recognized concert band “Sandviken Ungdomskorps”, Bergen's Fargespill (Musical Colours) before the Queen of Norway, and at the Bergen International Music Festival (Festspillerne i Bergen).
Both have studied Shetland fiddling with recognized fiddler Kevin Henderson and have studied Canadian fiddling with Patti Kusturok and Calvin Vollrath. Both have also competed in Western Canadian fiddle contests, placing in the finals of the junior classes and appeared together as guest performers at the John Arcand Fiddle Fest in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, in August 2005.
They released their first CD, "Our Way", in August 2011, at the John Arcand Fiddle Fest in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, which was recorded at Keyteck Studios during 2011 in Hague, Saskatchewan, Canada with engineer Wes Friesen.
Silje's Individual Accomplishments
-active in local theatre groups at Osterøy as an actress and prompter
-placed three times in the top four in the under 18 hardanger fiddle class at the Norwegian National Fiddling Championships [Landskappleiken] (4th in 2002, 2nd in 2004, 1st in 2006)
-placed 4th in the 18 and over hardanger fiddle class in 2007 at the same contest
-local and regional finalist in the Norwegian national youth talent contest “Ungdommens Kulturmønstring” (2003, 2004)
-selected by renowned Norwegian fiddler and dancer Vegar Vårdal (Ph.D.) in August 2003 as a participant in a talent development workshop in Oslo and Beitostølen, Norway.
-selected to represent Norway at the 2008 Nordic Nations Fiddle Contest in Sweden in the duet category with fellow Osterøy fiddler Una Ainna O'Keeffe in their duo "Simra"
-played for the opening ceremonies of Bergen's new City Train service (Bybanen) in June 2010
-is active as a composer of original fiddle tunes for both hardanger and standard fiddle
-fiddler for the contemporary dance band "Vildring"
-active as the musical director for Osterøy Spel- og Dansarlag's hardanger fiddle group when they released their 2012 album "Fela Liv" and again when the troupe won the Norwegian national large group traditional folk music class at Landskappleiken for the first time in 2023
Hogne's Individual Accomplishments
-Studied solo piano with Osterøy pianist Lars Erik Haga
-Appeared on the 2008 self-titled album release from Bergen Juniorspelemannslag (Bergen Junior Fiddlers), their first album release
-Performed at the official opening of the 2004 Bergen International Music Festival (Festspillene i Bergen) before King Harald VI of Norway
-Further studied Canadian fiddling with Canadian Grand Masters Champion fiddler Mark Sullivan
-Performed as guest soloist at the 2008 Calvin Vollrath Fiddle Gala in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
-Appeared as hardanger fiddler for the 2009 Osterøy Museum production "Trolldom"
-Has begun to learn two row button accordion (toråder)