Eikanger-Bjørsvik
Encyclopedia
The Eikanger-Bjørsvik band (also known as the Eikanger band) is a brass and percussion ensemble
from the municipality of Lindås
, Norway
. They are probably the best known brass band in Norway and have won the National brass band championships eleven times (1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009). In 1988 they became the first non-British band to win the European championships for brass band, an achievement they repeated in 1989. The Eikanger-Bjørsvik band have worked with conductors like Elgar Howarth
, Howard Snell
, Ingar Bergby, Bjarte Engeset
and Nicholas Childs.
The name is constructed from the names of two small villages along the fjord of Osterfjorden
, Eikanger and Bjørsvik, which both had their own community bands. Eikanger's, being the oldest, was founded in 1949, Bjørsvik's in 1952. In 1971, the bands merged and became a British-style brass band
.
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
from the municipality of Lindås
Lindås
Lindås is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway.-Background:The parish of Lindaas was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Masfjorden was separated from Lindås on 1 March 1879. Austrheim was separated from Lindås on 1 January 1910...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. They are probably the best known brass band in Norway and have won the National brass band championships eleven times (1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009). In 1988 they became the first non-British band to win the European championships for brass band, an achievement they repeated in 1989. The Eikanger-Bjørsvik band have worked with conductors like Elgar Howarth
Elgar Howarth
Elgar Howarth is an English conductor and composer.Howarth was educated in the 1950s at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music , where his fellow students included the composers Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Goehr, Peter Maxwell Davies, and the...
, Howard Snell
Howard Snell
Howard L. Snell is an American Ecologist and Professor at the University of New Mexico. His research and conservation efforts have improved the Galapagos Island's land iguanas' populations, which were in danger of extinction.-Biography:...
, Ingar Bergby, Bjarte Engeset
Bjarte Engeset
- Biography and career :Bjarte Engeset studied music at the University of Georgia, at the Grieg Akademiet, in Norway, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, in 1988, with Jorma Panula. He then spent the summer of 1989 at the Tanglewood Music Center Seminar of Conductors, studying with Seiji Ozawa,...
and Nicholas Childs.
The name is constructed from the names of two small villages along the fjord of Osterfjorden
Osterfjorden
Osterfjorden is one of three fjords surrounding the island Osterøy.The fiord runs between Lindås and Osterøy and is 27 km long, 1-3 km wide. The largest depth is 639 m....
, Eikanger and Bjørsvik, which both had their own community bands. Eikanger's, being the oldest, was founded in 1949, Bjørsvik's in 1952. In 1971, the bands merged and became a British-style brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
.