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The Norwegian baritone, Halvor Festervoll Melien, studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music (Norges musikkhøgskole = NMH)), where he obtained his Master of Music degree (2003-2011). In 2015-2016 he was part of the Young Singers’ Program at The Norwegian National Opera in Oslo.
Halvor F. Melien is a much sought-after concert and opera singer since 2006, appearing extensively throughout Europe. His vast repertoire, spanning from the 17th century till today, includes oratorios, masses, cantatas and song cycles. He is one of Scandinavia’s leading interpreters of 20th and 21st-century music, having participated in a number of world-premieres. Halvor F. Melien has worked with international conductors such as Paul Agnew, Alfredo Bernardini, Fabio Biondi, Oleg Caetani, Aaron Carpene, Marcello Di Lisa, Peter Dijkstra, Rubén Dubrovsky, Christian Eggen, Thröstur Eiriksson, John Helmer Fiore, Antonino Fogliani, Simon Gaudenz, Gottfried von der Goltz, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Robert Howarth, Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, Tõnu Kaljuste, Nicholas Kraemer, Andrew Lawrence-King, Steven Levine, Alessandro de Marchi, Andrew Parrott, Grete Pedersen, Vasily Petrenko, George Petrou, Sébastien Rouland, Peter Schreier, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Andreas Spering, Christoph Spering, Christoph Spering, Philipp von Steinaecker, Henrik Vagn Christensen, Alexander Vedernikov, Jos van Veldhoven Julian Wachner and Joshua Weilerstein.
Engagements in the 2014-2015 season included Papageno in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Municipal Theatre in Ho Chi Minh City, Steward / Sergeant / Sentry in Dmitri Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Norwegian National Opera, Salieri in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart and Salieri with the Arctic Opera, J.S. Bach's St. Matthew’s Passion (BWV 244) with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra as well as in Fredrikstad and Drammen, Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem in Tromsoe, Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in Oslo, Knut Vaage’s Høgsongen in Bergen, a recital at Málaga Clásica Music Festival and no less than four productions of J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) in Oslo, Bergen, Halden, Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg.
The 2015-2016 season included Masetto in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Moralès in Georges Bizet's Carmen, Giove in II Ritorno d’Ulisse, Steward / Sergeant / Sentry in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk as well as a recital at the Norwegian National Opera, J.S. Bach's St. John’s Passion (BWV 245) in Essen and Aix en Provence with Musica Saeculorum, L.v. Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) in Stavanger, George Frideric Handel's Messiah in Drammen and a recording of Knut Vaage’s Høgsongen. His many concerts in Oslo have included J. Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung on tour with Ensemble Allegria and Det Norske Solistkor (Director: Grete Pedersen), Cantatas by J.S. Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann, several concerts with cantatas by J.S. Bach, and concerts with various music by Heinrich Schütz, G. Gabrieli and Monteverdi. was engaged at Den Norske Opera & Ballett (August 2015-June 2016).
The 2016-2017 season included Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème with the Kristiansund Opera as well as in performance with Vestfold Symphony Orchestra, Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni with Opera East, Salieri in N. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart and Salieri with the Arctic Opera, J.S. Bach's St. Matthew’s Passion (BWV 244) in Hamburg as well as in Oslo, Weill’s Die sieben Todsünden with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, concerts with Bergen National Opera, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung in Stavanger, Kristiansand and Toensberg, W.A. Mozart's Mass in C minor with Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, J. Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem in Moss, J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) in Drammen and cantatas by J.S. Bach in Moss. His many engagements in Oslo have included G.F. Handel's Messiah, J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232), J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) and several concerts with cantatas by J.S. Bach.
Recent engagements have also included G.F. Handel’s Messiah and J.S. Bach’s Ich habe genug (BWV 82) with Barokkanerne and several Lied recitals with music by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Anton Webern. The 2017-2018 season has started with Giove in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria at the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik conducted by Alessandro de Marchi. Upcoming engagements include Giove in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria in Innsbruck, Peter in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel in Bergen (October-November 2017), J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with Gijs Lenaars in Holland (December 2017) and a recording of J.S. Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann with Barokkanerne and Alfredo Bernardini (December 2017).
Halvor F. Melien has contributed to a number of CD recordings, including Kurt Weill’s Die Sieben Todsünden with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, John Frandsens Requiem with Danish National Symphony Orchestra Knut Vaages Høgsongen. He has also worked extensively with new music, and has premiered pieces by Ørjan Matre, Lars Petter Hagen and Bjørn Kruse. A new piece for Sinfonietta, mezzo soprano and baritone is being written for him and Oslo Sinfonietta by Eivind Buene and Øyvind Mæland will write a piece for baritone and piano. |
