Sølvguttene ("The Silver Boys") is a

boys' choir A boys' choir is a one made up of boys who have yet to begin (or are just in the early stages of) puberty and so retain their high-pitched childhood voice. Members are known as trebles ("boy sopranos") or meanes ("boy altos"), depending on their ...

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 The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

) 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, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

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, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

, 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 elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and the second child of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and a grandchild of King Harald V. She is second in line of succession to the Norwegian ...

. 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 Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

in London,

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

in Rome and the

Berliner Dom Berlin Cathedral (), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental German Protestant church and dynastic tomb (House of Hohenzollern) at the Lustgarten on the Museum Island in central Berlin. Having it ...

. 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 New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...

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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, chamb ...

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, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

' German Requiem and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

, as well as serving as youth choir for the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic () 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 1871, and was esta ...

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 Erguner (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 stud ...

* 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