Asbjørn Nørgaard

Asbjørn Nørgaard, has established himself as one of the most sought-after viola players in Denmark and is the recipient of multiple accolades, including Jacob Gade’s large music grant and Leonoie Sonning’s Music Prize, the biggest cultural prize in Denmark. Asbjørn founded the Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet (Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year, 2020) as well as Inviolata, a viola-accordion duo. With these two ensembles, he is a prize-winner in several national and international competitions and has made multiple recordings.

Asbjørn is also an experienced orchestral player, and has led the viola sections of the Danish National Orchestra, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. Asbjørn Nørgaard has studied in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Berlin. He graduated from the soloist scheme at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2013 performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante at the Radio Hall in Copenhagen.

TEACHING

2015, Quartet in residence, RDAM
2020 – part-time teacher, RDAM

Masterclasses in more than 20 universities.

Price-winning students:

Nicholas Swensen
1. Prize, Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition, 2020
1. Prize, Julliard Viola Concerto Competition, 2021
3. Prize, Primrose International Viola competition 2021

Alva Holm
1. prize, "Solistpriset" 2022

Daniel Śledziński
1. prize P2's Chamber Music Competition, 2020 (Novo Quartet)
2. prize, Trondheim International Chamber music competition, 2021

Viktorija Viktorova
3rd Prize and special prize, Premio Scarlatti 2024.

 

ARTISTIC PRACTICE

Asbjørn is a member of the Danish String Quartet, with whom he has received many awards and accolades, most recently the Musical America Ensemble of the Year and the Leonìe Sonning’s Music Prize. The quartet tours all over the world, and in 2020 they completed a concert cycle of all Beethoven’s string quartets at the Lincoln Center in New York. Their CD series ‘Prism’ was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019. 2021-2024 the Danish String Quartet was artist in residence at the Wigmore Hall in Londen and Carnegie Hall in NYC. They have also been BBC New Generation Artists and members of the CMS-2 program at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Asbjørn Nørgaard is also often guesting festivals as soloist and chamber musician.

RESEARCH

With the accordeonist Andreas Borregaard Asbjørn Nørgaard developed a pedagogigal development project: ”The Master of Practice"; a meta studio of the art of practising.

Asbjørn is currently involved in the artistic research project “Show, don’t tell”. An exploration of dramatization as a means to communicate and re-contextualize classical chamber music. The project will end in a music dramatical performance by the Danish String Quartet and Lars Mikkelsen of all the string quartets by Shostakowich juxtaposed with a monologue based on Shostakowich’ letters.