An extended symphony orchestra
Lofoten og Vesterålen Orchestra Association is a semi-professional symphony orchestra with about 45 permanent musicians. It consists of young and older amateurs of all ages as well as professional musicians residing in the local region. Other professional musicians are hired as needed for our concerts. The concerts follow a tour schedule that takes us to all the nine municipalities that collaborate to support the orchestra. Growth in the cultural arena during the past decade has enabled us to produce top-quality professional events in the newly built cultural centres.

Musical wellspring
LVO has been a wellspring and training ground for musicians who go on to become professionals or contribute in voluntary musical life. Training for children and adolescents who attend local culture schools is offered regularly in the form of junior gatherings, making LVO a veritable regional orchestra school. Almost forty of the alumni who “grew up” in the orchestra over the years are currently professional musicians both at home in Norway and abroad. A large number of these musicians have been “young soloists” featured in LVO’s regularly arranged Young Talent concerts.

Geographically outstretched
The musicians come from far and wide. The distance from Andenes in the north and Sørvågen in the south is 300 km. This is why developing musicianship through the LVO ensemble is so important for the individual members. LVO is a voluntary music organization that contracts the professional conductors it needs. Our decentralized operational model makes the orchestra unique in a national context, but this form of administration is vulnerable, particularly in the area of finances. LVO has been the recipient of the Nordland County Council’s Prize for Culture.

Elite soloists
In recent years, LVO concert projects have featured top-notch soloists such as cellist Aage Kvalbein, violinist Arve Tellefsen, mezzo-soprano Marianne Beathe Kielland, artist Halvdan Sivertsen and the tubaist Øystein Baadsvik.

We welcome new adult amateurs and young people to join the orchestra. Get in touch with us!

Photo: Tom Helstad/ Mats Iversen Vangen/ Monica White

 

Contact

LOFOTEN- OG VESTERÅLEN ORKESTERFORENING
Postboks 497
8401 SORTLAND
Business org. no.: 913 115 074

Producer:
Mats Iversen Vangen, lvoprodusent(a)gmail.com, Tel.+45 60 24 47 37

Board for the 2022 season:
Trond Ståle Mathisen (chair) post(a)lvorkester.com
Lisa Holstad (professional performing musician rep.)
Synnøve Volden
Ann Cathrin Stafseth
Jack Blom
Birgitte Frendal, Silje Risjord (youth rep.)
Steinar Kjeldsen (substitute rep.)

Programme Council:
Håkon Kristiansen (chair)
Guro Kvanli
Anna-Sofia Ulfsax
Leif-Egil Barth