The Norwegian Radio Orchestra is the orchestra that practically everyone living in Norway know and cherish. And quite a few people elsewhere in the world, not least through the annual worldwide televised Nobel Peace Prize Concerts. Given the orchestra’s ability to and enthusiasm in maintaining an extraordinary repertoire diversity, they are frequent collaborators for a wide range of music events such as Ultima – Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Oslo World Music Festival, various jazz festivals a.o. But the national and international classical music heritage will always remain the main volume of the orchestra’s projects and priorities. Well illustrated by Miguel Harth-Bedoya taking the post as principal conductor from August 2013.

 

–  Soloists- 

Picture 5Mohammed Issa «Matona» Haji 

Matona is the son of a famous taraab musician. He started his career in his father’s band, first as a percussionist. Later he focused more on violin and oud, and he has been playing with, and acted as musical director in several bands in Zanzibar, including Ikhwana Safaa and Mohammed Elyas and the Twinkling Stars. He now leads his own quartet, as well as teaching music at Dhow Countries Music Academy, where he is Artistic Director. He has also participated in many international projects and has studied and played with people like Professor Alfred Gamil, Khalil Joubran and Mari Boine. He has released several solo CDs, and participated on various other productions.

Picture 4Rajab Suleiman

Rajab is a member and Musical Director of Culture Musical club, one of Zanzibar’s leading taraab orchestras. He is a teacher at Dhow Countries Music Academy, and has studied Arabic music in Egypt with Professor Alfred Gamil, and he is now one of the best qanun payers of Zanaibar. He has toured in many parts of the world, and played with several artists from many countries, and he has recorded several records, among them a CD with Taj Mahal.

Picture 3Maryam Said Hamdu 

Maryam started out very young as a singer with Egyptian Musical Club in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in the late 1990s. She participated in several international collaborations, and contributed as a singer on the CDs “Tranzania” by the Norwegian group Acid Queen, and as band member, singer and composer of songs on CDs with Mradi Group. She has grown to become an accomplished taraab singer, performing regularly in Zanzibar, Tanzania and abroad, as well as studying at Dhow Countries Music Academy.

 – Conductor and cellist –

Mats Rodin is one of Scandinavia’s most appreciated musicians and conductors. His repertoire reaches from classical symphonies to opera, ballet, musical and crossover. He has conducted leading scandinavian orchestras such as the Swedish Royal Symphony Orchestra, the Danish Radia Symphony Orchestra, the Danish Royal Chapel, the Norwegian Orchestra, and many more. in recent years Mats Rodin has worked with or orchestras such as Stuttgarter Kammerorchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in australia.

Both as a conductor and a cellist, Mats Rodin is frequently engaged in contemporary music productions. When not performing himself, Mats Rodin is a well sought cello coach and professor at the Malmoe University College for Music since 20005. He is also a member of the Royal Music Academy.

Mats Rodin has been awarded the Royal Swedish Litteris et Artibus medal for his contributions to music and culture.