Borealis Listening Club returns for Season 5 asking how music deals with some of the most urgent states of being today. From Protest to Isolation to Care, each month we’ll be picking records, eating popcorn, and listening together. For Season 5 we’ll be moving to our new space, Studio 207, at Strandgaten 207 on the last Wednesdays of the month, and if you want to suggest music to listen to be sure to get in touch on email blc@borealisfestival.no.

The theme for our first gathering of the autumn is: Protest.  Wednesday 26th of August  20.00–22.00 – Studio 207

From music recorded in the underground American subway systems by Matana Roberts in solidarity with the Standing Rock protests, to feminist protest punk performed at street demonstrations by Deli Girls, we’ll be exploring different modes of politics and music this time. Each month we’ll also have a “deep listen” and for Protest we’ll be spending time with the String Quartets of American composer Wadada Leo Smith.

• 

• 

This month we recommend something to read and listen to in the summer sun that gives insight into curatorial pratice and conversational techniques.

George Lewis has written a great essay published in the journal On Curating looking at the decolonising of curatorial practice in contemporary music. Going home this summer to see family and old friends? Perhaps you have some difficult conversations in store in light of the anti-racist movement? We recommend this five part podcast series by occupational therapist and musician Georgia Twigg called How To Talk To People You Disagree With – a helping hand for those difficult conversation

We’re very happy to announce the new participants in the fourth round of our mentor programme Borealis Ung Komponist! This year saw a doubling of applicants from the year before and we’re thrilled and proud to be able to deliver a mentor programme bringing together international mentors with emerging local composers and adventurous musicians.

Read more about our four composers here

This year’s participants are: Agnes Hvizdalek, Mirte Bogaert, Tord Kalvenes and Vegar Guleng – a bouquet of exciting new compositional voices all with musical investments in Bergen and Western Norway. With diverse backgrounds spanning composition and improvisation, contemporary dance and choral music this will be an exciting group to follow for the next 8 months. 

The four participants will be writing music for renowned early music ensemble Currentes to perform at Borealis 2021, and from the autumn will be guided by a team of international renowned mentors: Alwynne Pritchard (UK/NO), Raven Chacon (US) and Øyvind Torvund (NO). 

• 

• 

Borealis Samtale is our new podcast diving in to the archive of conversations with composers, artists and musicians recorded at the festival starting 2015 – spanning the musical, social and political. We can’t wait to share all this wonderful insights into the work and thoughts of some of our favourite composers, musicians, curators and thinkers. We’ll be releasing an episode per month – you can find it on our Soundcloud or wherever you find you podcasts.

Our first episode features a conversation between British performer Elaine Mitchener and Dr. Temi Odumosu, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies at Malmö University in Sweden following the Scandinavian premiere of Elaine’s work SWEET TOOTH at Borealis 2020. They discuss how music can relate to the history of the international enslavement trade, and the way art can function to evoke and heal this trauma.