Hi, everyone! I trust that all is well with you and yours and that music is filling an important role in your community and family. For those of you who have recently liked my artist page over the past weeks, thank you so much for your interest and kind support. In Norway, all schools and universities take their Easter break before the Easter weekend each year, and 2024 is no exception. Music work and activities continue to be planned for the coming months both in Norway and Canada. This latest article is written for both my Facebook pages and my website at www.trentbruner.com.
Spring concerts will have happened for the Tysnes Chamber Choir and the Unneland Community Choir in March and April, with me conducting Tysnes and accompanying Unneland on piano with their conductor, Marius Dale Romslo. More information on performance dates will be given on my website and Facebook artist page.
As for my temporary piano teaching position with the Alver Culture School, students had their spring concert on Thursday, March 21st. I have also been on call as a substitute teacher for staff members who have either been sick or have been away on European performance tours through the past few weeks, and have been substituting for music teachers with the Bergen and Fedje Culture Schools as well. I’m always been glad to help teach and share my talents where I can make a positive difference for tomorrow’s generation of musicians.
In my organist work with the Norwegian Lutheran Church on the Island of Osterøy, I’ll have two services to play this weekend: Saturday Night at 11:00 pm local time in Hamre Lutheran Church with Hannah Moira alongside on violin, and Easter Monday Night at 7:00 pm in Hosanger with local band The Smooth Operators playing alongside for a youth service. In addition, two of the local congregations have major celebrations taking place in May 2024. Many months of planning have been put into these events soon to be taking place. Details are being released as events are confirmed.
On Sunday, May 12, the Haus Lutheran Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary as a congregation, even though smaller congregations were in existence in the local area before these congregations came together back in 1874. The Osterøy Community Choir, Haus Brass Band and other musical guests will be part of the May 10-12 weekend. My fellow organist, Ivar Mæland, will be playing organ for the Sunday morning service and other major events of the weekend.
In addition, the Hamre congregation, our family’s home church, will be celebrating the 1000th anniversary of its founding in 1024. The Hamlet of Hamre had been a central meeting point for boat traffic for the entire Norwegian west coast and a rest stop for many boats, with sailors and passengers coming to shore for a travel break and observing the Lord’s Day for Sunday worship. It also served as a central community for local towns and villages in the region north of Bergen before the era of cars and roads came in the 1900s. The present building has been standing since 1624 and has a stone altar in the church that has been in place since the present building was constructed. It is also one of the churches I play in most often during Sunday services and other church functions throughout the calendar year.
From May 23-26th, 2024, a four day event will take place at the church and on the church grounds, with both Ivar Mæland and I involved in various musical events throughout the celebration. The Alvidt Manger Singers, whom I conduct, will be part of a Thursday evening welcome event with Bergen Barokk, Pastor Ida Greve, and other special guests to open the event. A Friday night program is also planned with the Osteroy Community Choir (Jon Flydal Blichfeldt, conductor) headlining the evening with a public concert. Saturday is Children’s Day with Norwegian gospel children’s singer Bjarte Leithaug giving a noon hour concert with the Valestrand Children’s Choir participating with him. Sunday is when the main worship service happens at 11:00 am with members of the Valestrand Brass Band, (Vibecke Eide Kleiven, conductor) a quartet from the Haus Brass Band, invited dignitaries and Bishop Ragnhild Jensen in attendance, followed by a time of coffee and fellowship for all ages. Needless to say, it will be a major gathering for all.
Summer 2024 will mean a double trip to Canada for me. In early July, my family will be joining me for the first time since 2016 for three weeks. It will also be a time for holidays and music as plans allow. More details will be announced in the coming weeks. And yes, our daughters, Hannah Moira and Ingrid Sofie, will be travelling with fiddles in hand!
I’ll close here for now. On behalf of our family, we wish everyone a Happy Easter and relaxing school break whenever it happens where you are. Until next time, see you somewhere down the musical trail!
Musically Yours, Trent
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