Sølvguttene ("The Silver Boys") is a

boys' choir A boys' choir is a choir primarily made up of choirboys who have yet to begin puberty or are in the early to middle stages of puberty and so retain their more highly pitched childhood voice type. Members of a boys' choir are technically known as '' ...

founded by Torstein Grythe in June, 1940. He held the position as conductor until 2004, when Fredrik Otterstad took over.Eldri Espedal Storhaug
Sølvguttene kom med julefred
Aftenbladet, December 12, 2008 In 2019, Frikk Heide-Steen was hired as full-time conductor alongside Otterstad. The choir had its first rehearsals in Grythes apartment in Oslo, but were soon offered to rehearse in Norwegian Broadcasting’s (

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

) facilities. The thought was that the choir would be permanently linked to NRK, and the first radio performance was held in December 1940. Conditions during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

soon made it impossible to continue the cooperation with NRK, and the choir was for the remainder of the war years managed by the founder/conductor. Sølvguttene got its name primarily because of the shiny, silvery uniforms that were acquired in the beginning (for lack of other, more subtle materials). Later the name has been attributed to the special sound and clarity of boys voices, voices of silver.

Overview

Sølvguttene (Norwegian Broadcasting Boys’ Choir) comprises about 90 boys and 30 adult male singers, all of whom have previously been boy singers. Additionally, 25 boys aged 7 to 9 are training to be qualified for the concert choir. The choir will normally comprise around 60 singers on international tours, and regular concerts. The choir has become an extremely popular institution in Norway with its many performances on radio and television, in addition to concerts all over the country. In particular the program "Sølvguttene synger julen inn", which is broadcast every

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

, has been a major success. In addition, the choir has toured all over Europe and also the USA and the former Soviet Union on several occasions. The choir is known internationally because of its emphasis on sound rather than on technical perfection. The choir has often been engaged to perform at official events, such as the closing ceremony of the Lillehammer Olympic Games and the baptism of the Norwegian

Princess Ingrid Alexandra Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the grandchild of King Harald V. She is second in line of succession to the Norwegian throne after her fat ...

. Sølvguttene has been invited to and performed in some of the most spectacular churches and concerts halls in Europe, among them

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

in London,

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal en ...

in Rome and the

Berliner Dom The Berlin Cathedral (german: link=yes, Berliner Dom), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental German Evangelical church and dynastic tomb (House of Hohenzollern) on the Museum Island in central ...

. They have also performed with internationally recognized musicians such as

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

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and

Ole Edvard Antonsen Ole Edvard Antonsen (born 25 April 1962) is a Norwegian trumpeter, musician and conductor. Antonsen was born in Vang, Hedmark, now part of Hamar. He is best known as a solo trumpeter, active in different genres of music; classical music, chamber ...

Repertoire

The choir has a varied repertoire, although the focus has been on classical church coral music and traditional Norwegian folk music. The choir regularly performs classical masterpieces like

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

' German Requiem and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

, as well as serving as youth choir for the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 18 ...

Discography (a selection)

* 1987: Julenatt * 1989: Norge, mitt Norge * 1990: Sølvguttene: 50 år * 1995: Sølvguttene in Boda Kyrkja (live) * 1996: Sølvguttene in Westminster Abbey (live) * 1997: Kormusikk fra Norge i middelalder og renessanse samt fra vår tid * 2000: Sølvguttene 60 år * 2001: Sølvguttene synger julen inn * 2006: Julemesse - missa in nativitate domini * 2009: Desember Stemninger (with

) * 2010: Sølvguttene Live - Charpentier: Te Deum (live) * 2011: Da Pacem (with Ellen Sejersted Bødtker) * 2013: Pervane: fløyet fra Guds hånd (with

Kudsi Erguner Kudsi Ergüner (born 4 February 1952 in Diyarbakır, Turkey) is a Turkish musician. He is considered a master of traditional Mevlevi Sufi music and is one of the best-known players of the Turkish ney flute. Biography As a boy, Erguner s ...

* 2014: Gull i munn - Prøysens gutteviser

Different parts of the choir

Song School: Among 25 boys from 7 to 9 years old are taught how to sing and to read their music. This is the cornerstone of the choir's success.
Concert Choir: Consists of approximately 70 boys between 8 years old and voicechange, and 25 men.
Men's choir: Consists of about 25 former choirboys. They play a major role in the concert choir, and perform on their own as well.
Youthgroup: "VoiceOver": During and after the voice-change, boys get the opportunity to sing in this choir to maintain their voice. They sing all genres, and have become popular entertainers. VoiceOver also function as a recruitment choir for the men's choir.
Soloist Group: A group of boys who represent the choir in smaller occasions such as weddings and funerals.
Soloists: Boys from the choir are often invited to play in operas such as Mozart's Magic Flute.

References

External links

Sølvguttenes homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solvguttene 1940 establishments in Norway Boys' and men's choirs Choirs of children Musical groups established in 1940 Musical groups from Oslo NRK Norwegian choirs