Photo by Yngve olsen
Bio
Vokal Nord is a chamber choir based in Tromsø, Norway. Artistic director is Anna Gallon. The ensemble is known and recognized for their characteristic sound based on vocal traditions from the north, as well as classical music.
Vokal Nord´s core repertoire is music from the baroque period and traditional folk music from the northern parts of Scandinavia.
photo by øivind arvola
from nordlysfestivalen 2019, with guitarist hedvig mollestad. photo by Håkon Elias Pettersen
The choir have commissioned several new compositions inspired by the Saami vocal tradition and language. These are often performed alongside more traditional choir arrangements of folk songs from the northern parts of Scandinavia, showcasing the melancholic, beautifully down to earth music of the northernmost population in the world.
Being amongst the top choir ensembles of Norway, the choir have collaborated with highly acclaimed orchestras such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the baroque ensemble Pratum Integrum. In June 2019, conductor Paul McCreesh of the Gabrieli consort lead the choir through a series of concerts in Norway. Other artistic partners and guest conductors in recent years include Rinaldo Alessandrini and Herbert Böck.
The choir often work with regional ensembles for classical orchestral productions. Recent performances include Bach´s St. John´s passion and Händel´s Messiah together with the Arctic Philharmonic and Bach´s Easter oratorio with the MiN- ensemble.
Some of Norway´s finest artists in the folk and jazz genre can also be found amongst Vokal Nord´s artistic partners. Violinist Susanne Lundeng, South Saami yoiker and singer Marja Mortensson and poet Ola Bremnes have all been on several tours with the choir, focusing on different aspects of the northern music tradition.
vokal nord with singers from the gabrieli consort. photo by bjørn hansen
F.L: daniel norum, jennifer van der hart, geir damsgård, zoe claire m. Brookshaw, john alexander g. bowen, jurgita juozuniene
The ensemble was established in Tromsø in 1997, when a group of singers came together with the ambition to form a vocal ensemble on an international level.
Artistic director
Anna Gallon. Photo by Johannes Erkkilä
The choir´s artistic leader is Anna Gallon (b.1991). She is a multi-faceted Finnish musician – conductor, singer and composer.
Currently Gallon lives in Lyon, working there with local choirs as well as doing various projects around Europe. She is the artistic director of Philomela, one of the most well known Finnish female choirs, as well as the artistic director of the Sibelius Academy Music Education Student’s Choir Haloa, known for premiering contemporary Finnish music. As a singer she works in the vocal ensemble Kuvaja. In addition, Gallon works a great deal as a composer and arranger, and has made commissioned works for e.g. Philomela (FIN) and Ensemble Vocal Syllepse (FRA). Her works have been published by publishing company Sulasol. Gallon has a master's degree in both music education and choral conducting from the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki.
“The possibilities of the human voice are an endless source of inspiration for me, as well as the power of combining multiple voices as one.” - Anna Gallon
Former artistic leaders:
Bjørn Andor Drage from 2016 to 2023.
Lone Larsen from 2011 to 2015.
Ragnar Rasmussen from 1997 to 2011
Two videos of us:
