Welcome to
The Edvard Grieg Society
of the Dakotas
DUO RECITAL
"Continued Connections"
A recital featuring soprano and EGSOD president Marla Fogderud and artist-in-residence and pianist Oda Voltersvik in celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of the first Norwegian Settlers in America and the continued cultural bonds between Norway and the United States.
The opening half will be a tribute to the world renown Norwegian soprano, Kirsten Flagstad (1871-1958). Works by Edvard Grieg, Ernest Charles, and Richard Strauss that she was particularly remembered for will commemorate her appearances in the the United States from the late 1930s through the 1950s.
In the second half, a grand selection from "50 folk tunes from Hardanger" by Geir Tveitt (1908- 1981) for piano solo will portray situations for people farming and living in the countryside in the past centuries as well as emotions connected to leaving home.
Date: July 15, 2025
Time: 7:30 p. m.
Place: First Lutheran Church (619 Broadway N., Fargo, ND 58102)
This concert is free and open to the public.
Donations are gratefully accepted at the door.
Norsk Musikk
The Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas is celebrating the rich heritage of Norwegian music with MSUM choirs and guest musicians!
Winner of the 2024 Grieg Society Grant
The Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas Grant Committee is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2024 grant is Sarah Rosales of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her proposed concert will include vocal and violin music in collaboration with pianist Amanda R. M. Jones and will take place in Des Moines in late October. Please watch for further information on this concert as the date approaches.
We heartily thank all applicants for their interest in the grants program and encourage everyone to keep programming Grieg's music on your future concerts!
The Return of
Oda Voltersvik
as
Artist-in-Residence
We are delighted to have welcomed Norwegian pianist
Oda Voltersvik back for her second tour as Artist-in-Residence
in March together with her piano duo Volt & Potenza Duo!
This duo performed a
fantastic concert in Moorhead, Minnesota:
March 3, 7:30 p.m.:
Volt & Potenza Duo
"Grieg in Rome"
Concordia College
Christiansen Recital Hall in the Hvidsten Hall of Music
1112 5th St. S.
Moorhead, MN 56562
Click here for more details about this concert.
International Grieg Society Conference 2023
The International Edvard Grieg Society (IGS), the Grieg Research Centre at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Music and Design University of Bergen, and Kode Art Museums and Composer Homes invite music researchers to the 'Current Musical Heritage - International Edvard Grieg Conference', Bergen 17 – 19 November 2023.
Our very own EGSOD president Marla Fogderud will present a paper, "The Origin of the Norwegian Compositional Voice: Halfdan Kjerulf and the Romanse."
More information about the conference can be found at the IGS website.
For more information about Halfdan Kjerulf, visit the Bergen Assembly.
Halfdan Kjerulf
Painting by unknown artist
Copy by Knud Bergslien.
The Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas presents
Oda Voltersvik: Nordic Unrest
Link to her full project here
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Join members of the
Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas
and friends from the community for a concert and hymn-sing to shake off the winter doldrums. The concert will feature Nordic music, winter themes, and a sing-along of hymns to commemorate the
150th birthday of Norwegian composer Eyvind Alnaes.
This concert will take place on Sunday, February 5
at 2:00 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church
(1011 12th Ave. N.) in Fargo.
The all-ages event is free and open to the public.
Freewill donations
gratefully accepted
at the door.
Join us on Sunday, October 23 for an afternoon of music by women composers of Norway. Two performances -- one at
3:00 p.m. and one at 5:00 p.m. -- will take place in the Johnson Fine Arts building on the Northern State University campus in Aberdeen, South Dakota. This wonderful showcase is free and open to the public.
Happy Birthday
Agathe Backer Grøndahl (175)
and
Eyvind Alnæs (150)!
On July 28, we commemorated these milestone birthdays with a concert of piano and vocal music while also sharing some historical tidbits about both composers. The concert took place at 7:30 p.m. at
Peace Lutheran Church (1011 12th Ave. N. in Fargo)!
Agathe Backer Grøndahl
(1847-1907)
Featured performers include
Drs. Dianna Anderson, Marla Fogderud, and
Jean Hellner
Eyvind Alnæs
(1872-1932)
The Armstrong Boulevard Brass Quintet to Perform Selected Works of
Edvard Grieg
The Armstrong Boulevard Brass Quintet consists of five accomplished performers with over 150 years experience playing great brass music. A remarkable ensemble, this quintet is the recipient of the 2022 Grieg Society Grant.
Their first Grieg recital in Owatonna on June 20th has been postponed due to weather. We will let you know when this concert will be rescheduled.
We hope that you will be able to attend the concert on September 29!
Click here for what will be a great program!
Grieg in Performance
International Research Seminar 2022
The International Edvard Grieg Society, the Grieg Research Centre at the University of Bergen, and Grieg Museum Troldhaugen invite you to an international research seminar on Grieg in light of historical performance traditions and their relevance for present day interpretive practices. The seminar will take place 2 September at Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen and 3 September at the Grieg Academy.
Click here for more information!
Oda Voltersvik
in concert
World-renowned Norwegian pianist
Oda Hjertine Voltersvik
gave two concerts in our region during her tour of the United States!
Her first concert took place on Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
For those in the Fargo-Moorhead area, Oda performed on Monday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Hvidsten Hall of Music at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.
More information about Oda can be found at www.odavoltersvik.com.
Winner of the 2022 Grieg Society Grant
The Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas is pleased to announce the Armstrong Boulevard Brass Quintet as the recipient of the 2022 Grieg Society Grant. The $500 award will be used to produce two concerts of Grieg's music transcribed for brass quintet. The ensemble is based in southern Minnesota and includes members Thomas Bierer, trumpet; Craig Brendan, trumpet; Steve Spieker, horn; David Stordalen, trombone; and Al Tonn, tuba. Further information on concerts will be shared on our website and on the EGSOD Facebook page.
Songs Older and Newer: A Showcase of Edvard Grieg's Romanser
Join us for Dr. Marla Fogderud's upcoming faculty recital on Sunday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m.! This one-of-a-kind recital will be held at the Johnson Fine Arts Building on the Northern State University campus in Aberdeen, South Dakota. If you are unable to attend in person, click here for a live-stream link, and click here for the program. Please mark your calendars and tell your friends!
"Klaver-kvinner Konsert"
A Celebration of Norwegian
Women Piano Composers
The Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas presented a concert on Sunday, July 25th at
3 p.m. in the sanctuary of Peace Lutheran Church, 1011 12th Ave N, Fargo. The program, which is the first of its kind in this region, showcased piano music written by Norwegian women composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The concert included performances by pianists from around the Fargo-Moorhead community.
Click here to view this concert on our YouTube channel. Click here to view the program.
All donations will go toward future programming by the Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas.
Grieg and Mozart:
Emotion through Song
EGSOD, in partnership with Northern State University School of Fine Arts, presents
Dr. Marla Fogderud, soprano, and Dr. Jean Hellner, piano, in a lecture recital of songs by Edvard Grieg and W. A. Mozart. The program explores how each composer approached common emotional ideas such as love, longing, and remembrance. The concert will have a limited live audience in the Jewett Theater on the campus of Northern State University and will also be live-streamed. Please note masks are required for all on-campus attendees. Admission is free; donations to the Edvard Grieg Society of the Dakotas are gratefully accepted.
Please join us Saturday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. in person or
online for the live-stream broadcast.
"The Beloved as Muse"
Our very own president,
Dr. Marla Fogderud, published a poignant, heart-warming article on the unique and beloved (if not at times tumultuous) relationship between Edvard and his wife Nina in the July 31, 2020 edition of The Norwegian American. Click here to read this article.
If you would like to contact Marla, please email her at griegdakotas@gmail.com.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Edvard and Nina Grieg in 1888
Image: Wikimedia Commons "Edvard Grieg accompanying his Wife" (1889), oil on wood, by Skagen painter Peder Severin Krøyer, is one of the most famous portraits of Edvard and Nina Grieg. Krøyer was a friend of the Griegs, who spent many winters in Copenhagen.
The EGSOD BLOG
Check out our brand-new blog for interesting news and information about Edvard Grieg and other Norwegian composers.