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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 looking for people who are interested in music, art, theater and other artistic expressions, and who are looking for experience in cultural work and festival production. There are lots of tasks that need solving for Borealis to happen and our interns get a wide range of experiences in different areas. We’re looking for people that will follow our Heads of Communication, Production and Volunteer Coordination. Through this 6 month part-time internship you’ll get a unique look into the inner life of a music festival and invaluable work experience in the cultural field. 

Read the call, spread the word and apply!

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). 

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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.

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After five lovely years in Hordaland Kunstsenter we’re moving on and into new offices! From now on you’ll find us in Strandgaten 207. The office is on street level with a shared space managed by us and our friends in Piksel – festival for electronic art and free technology. The shared space is called Studio 207, and will house both our and Piksels’s events all year round. OUr free monthly listening event Borealis Listening Club will be moved to Studio 207. 

Studio 207 is an exciting collaboration and space for experimental music and electronic art run by Borealis – a festival for experimental music and Piksel – festival for electronic art and free technology in Bergen, Norway. This collaboration between the two prime festivals within the field of experimental art and music in Bergen is new as of 2020 and offers up lots of new opportunities and thrilling events in the time to come. Together these two festivals fill the space with anything from workshops and exhibitons to concerts and listening clubs, all year around.

Studio 207 is a 60 m² large space in Strangaten 207 in central Bergen. Borealis and Piksel have their offices on either side of Studio 207 and curate the content for the space in close collaboration. Established concepts that take place in Studio 207 is: Borealis Listening Club, Piksel Fest Spill og Piksel Kidz Lab. Parts of Borealis’ and Piksel’s festival programme is also hosted in the space.