Passion for singing

Bislett Vokalensemble is based in Fagerborg Church. We consist of singers who share a passion for choral music and community, and invite the audience to experience music with us.

We present a broad musical repertoire with music from baroque composers such as Bach and Handel, via classics such as Mozart, Brahms and Grieg to contemporary composers such as Vierne, Britten and Gjeilo. The choir's program gives the audience the opportunity to experience the prunes and great works of music history. The choir also highlights music and composers that are rarely performed. In addition to high concert activity in Norway, we have held concerts in Leipzig, Wittenberg, Dresden, Helsinki, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, New York, Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, Lübeck, Hamburg, Berlin, Paris and Rome. The choir promotes Norwegian music and Norwegian composers on its foreign tours.

Bislett Vokalensemble was established in October 1995, but then under the name Ullern Kammerkor. Gjermund Brenne is the choir's conductor. His professional leadership since 2001 has contributed to the strength of the choir's positive development and that the choir has a versatile repertoire to present.

Bislett vocal ensemble is a member of the Norwegian Choir Association.

Our conductor

Gjermund Brenne has been conductor of the Bislett vocal ensemble (formerly Ullern chamber choir) since 2001, and cantor in Fagerborg church from 2002. In addition to this, Gjermund Brenne is a university lecturer at the Faculty of Congregational Studies, and has previously taught church music at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Gjermund Brenne (b. 1978) is from Sarpsborg and has his education from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Music Conservatory in Leipzig with studies in organ playing, choir and orchestral conducting. His teachers have been Kåre Nordstoga, Jon Laukvik, Arvid Gast and Horst Neumann. He is also conductor of the Oslo Police Mixed Choir and the project choir Fagerborg Festivalchor. He has performed several times at the Oslo International Church Music Festival and has given concerts in Norway, as well as a number of European countries, both as organist and conductor. Gjermund has also worked on films and TV series and was an organ teacher and instructor on Erik Poppe's film The Invisible and on NRK's ​​film adaptation of Jan Kjærstad's The Conqueror.