Bolteløkka Girls’ Choir Celebrates 20 Years with a New Album of Medieval Music!
When Linn Andrea Fuglseth tried to find a choir for her daughter in 2004, she ended up starting her own. Now, 20 years later, Bolteløkka Girls’ Choir is one of Norway’s largest girls’ choirs, with a rich history.
On the release “Ye Olde Songs – Medieval Music for Young Voices,” girls from 1st to 7th grade at Bolteløkka School sing music that’s rather unusual for a children’s choir: medieval and folk music! The children have learned to sing in several different languages, including Latin, Old English, Swedish, and Old Norse. The album features ballads, humorous songs, Christmas carols, and sacred music from across Europe, spanning many centuries.
Choir director and conductor Linn Andrea has long had a passion for medieval music, dating back to her time as a student at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Her interest was so strong that she spent a year in London at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama to immerse herself in the repertoire, followed by two additional years focused on early music and vocal studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In 1997, she founded Trio Mediæval, and she has been singing with the group for nearly 30 years, specializing in medieval, folk, and contemporary music. So, it felt natural to introduce the children to music they don’t typically hear in daily life. Linn Andrea shares:
– I am proud of the progress the choir has made over these twenty years. We’ve established ourselves as a meaningful social activity in the neighborhood, where we sing together across grade levels, and the children experience achievement, joy in singing, and gain cultural enrichment. Now, as we release Ye Olde Songs, with 125 singers—four of whom have been with us since the beginning in 2004—we launch this album with pride and cheer for the choir’s 20th anniversary!
