Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra

Moments like these last a lifetime. Symphonic music touches us in places where words fall short. The orchestra’s vision is to invite you out of your daily routine for a few hours, so you can return inspired and enriched.

KSO is a young and vibrant ensemble in strong development, consisting of 67 full-time musicians from 17 different nations. Since January 2012, the orchestra has found its home in Kilden’s magnificent concert hall, one of Scandinavia’s most impressive acoustic spaces, with seating for 1,180 audience members.

Here, audiences from across Southern Norway can experience classical orchestral concerts, crossover productions, family concerts, and special events such as Fædrelandsvennen’s Request Concert, New Year’s Concerts, Children’s Kilden Day, and May 17th concerts.

KSO is one of the world’s youngest professional symphony orchestras! It was first formed in 2003 following a merger between the former Kristiansand Chamber Orchestra and the Armed Forces District Music Corps Southern Norway.

OPERA AND MUCH MORE

In close collaboration with Kilden’s other artistically producing departments (Kilden Opera, Kilden Theatre, and Kilden Dialog), KSO serves as the orchestra for opera, musical, and ballet productions and in “outreach” projects such as SPOR and The Christmas Gospel.

KSO AND MEDIA

NRK regularly records concerts with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, and there are plans for increased collaboration in the future, including a special Kilden edition of NRK TV’s classical music magazine, Hovedscenen. Several of KSO’s concerts are streamed to nursing homes and other public institutions in Kristiansand.

KSO collaborates with several record companies, including NAXOS and CPO.

MUSIC IN SMALLER FORMAT

KSO’s musicians are highly active in chamber music. In the 2018/19 season, seven concerts were held at various venues in Kristiansand.

During the pre-Christmas period, the “KSO in the City” project takes place. The orchestra is divided into smaller ensembles that perform mini-concerts at various locations in the region, such as hospitals, schools, daycares, workplaces, restaurants, and libraries.