Eldbjørg Hemsing

Classical violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing was born in Nord-Aurdal, Oppland, Norway, on February 16, 1990. She is best known for collaborating with Oscar-winning Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun, and for premiering several of his works. The younger sister of violinist Ragnhild Hemsing, she began playing the violin at the age of 5. A year later, she was playing violin for the Norwegian royal family. She began attending the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo at the age of seven, studying with Stephan Barratt-Due and Alf Richard Kraggerud. In 2001, she was soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. At the age of 12, Eldbjørg Hemsing performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. She began collaborating with Tan Dun, who asked her to perform his Hero Concerto, marking the start of their long-term working relationship. She has worked with numerous orchestras and performed at major festivals, including the International Chamber Music Festival, Wigmore Hall, Festival de Verbier, Festival de Bellerive and Nordic Cool Festival. In 2018, she released the album Borgström & Shostakovich: Violin Concertos, which was followed by Tan Dun: Fire Ritual (2019), Grieg: Violin Sonatas - Hemsing: Homecoming (2020) and Arctic (2023). Over the course of her career, Eldbjørg Hemsing has won several prizes, including First Prize at the Kocian Czech International Violin Competition (2005), the Audience Prize at the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians (2008) and the Spellemannprisen in 2020 for the album Grieg: The Violin Sonatas, a collaboration with pianist Simon Trpčeski. In 2024, she recorded Swedish composer Anders Hillborg's Violin Concerto No. 2, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2026, Eldbjørg Hemsing made a foray into Baroque music with the Colors of Bach recital, consisting of varied pieces arranged for string quintet, with the participation of the Norwegian String Quartet.