The Violinist

I decided to play the violin when I was about 6 years old. I watched a TV programme with Isaac Stern and that was it. At the time, the children's music school didn't take in children under 8 years, so I had to wait a couple of years before actually starting to learn it.

I was a child with many interests, so it getting time to seriously practise was kind of a lost cause in the beginning. But I was quick, and got a good basis during childhood. Serious practising started when I was about 15 with a lot of Flesch-scales and the Mendelssohn concerto.

During high school I met one of my big mentors, prof Leif Jørgensen. His interest in me was what gave me the confidence to seek a career as a violinist. I studied with him and prof Kaare Sæther for about three years. But, I was a bit unsure of my career possibilities, so at one point I decided to seek a career as a computer engineer instead. This kept me away from serious practise for a couple of years.

Back in my home town after engineering studies and exams, I then met violinist Piotr Janowski who offered me to study with him in my spare time. So while working long hours as a programmer, I spent most of my spare time practising the violin. He was a magnificent violinist and musician, and he was the one that taught me the the real "tricks of the trade". How to get the music under your skin, how to build your technique brick by brick and how to prepare for performances. Unfortunately, hi died much too young in 2008. You can read more about him here

Wikipedia: Piotr Janowski

After this, I have had a professional career as a violinist "on the side" of my programmer career. I have mainly worked in south-east Norway, being a member of both professional and semi-professional ensembles, as well as doing recitals and performing as a soloist. I was a member of the Telemark Chamber Orchestra for 20 years, and I am currently the concert master of the Vestfold Symphony Orchestra.