Aksel Rykkvin
Aksel Rykkvin | |
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 Rykkvin in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aksel Johannes Skramstad Rykkvin |
| Born | 11 April 2003 Oslo, Norway |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Website | www |
Aksel Johannes Skramstad Rykkvin (born 11 April 2003) is a Norwegian singer. He rose to fame as a boy soprano singing baroque arias, and recorded two albums on Signum Records with orchestral accompaniment. Critics have noted his fine vocal tone[1][2] and instinctive musicality.[2][1][3]
After his voice changed, he started performing as a baritone,[4] while taking a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice at the Royal Academy of Music, London, 2022-26.[5]
Biography
[edit]Rykkvin began singing in the Oslo Cathedral Boys' Choir, and continued as a member throughout his soprano career.[6] At age ten he joined the Children's Chorus of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet.[6] As a member of the Oslo Cathedral Boys' Choir, he received vocal training beginning at the age of five from the voice teacher Helene Haarr. At age ten he studied voice with Marianne Willumsen Lewis, as his principal teacher.[7] From 2019, he studied with the voice teacher Matthew Mark Marriott.[8] Since 2022, he is studying under Prof. Mark Wildman at the Royal Academy of Music in London.[9]
Rykkvin has an international reputation, both for his album Aksel! Arias By Bach, Händel & Mozart (2016), for which he was nominated for newcomer of the year at the 2016 Spellemannprisen,[10] and for solo concerts and opera roles as a boy soprano. In January 2017 he was named "The Musician of the Year" during the national part of the Youth Music Championship 2016–2017.[11] In addition to performing in operas he sang with the Oslo Philharmonic orchestra, and has also performed for the Prime Minister and Norwegian royal family.[2]
Recordings
[edit]His first album was funded with a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $45,000. It was recorded in London in January 2016 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conductor Nigel Short and producer Sean Lewis.[3]
His second album, Light Divine, features the Norwegian Min Ensemble led by trumpeter Mark Bennett, and baroque music by Handel, Albinoni and Rameau.[1] His voice changed a month after the recording and he then stopped performing as a soprano.[1]
His first two albums both debuted in the Top 10 in the UK Classical Music charts.[12][13]
Discography
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Stephen Pritchard (10 March 2018). "Home listening: forgotten female composers, Sonoro and Aksel Rykkvin". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c "Six of the best... musical child prodigies". Classical-music.com - BBC Music Magazine’s official music website. 1 September 2016.
- ^ a b Jenna Simeonov (26 July 2016). "Young Singing Done Right:Aksel Rykkvin". Schmopera.
- ^ Lewis, Sean (26 April 2018). "Aksel Rykkvin - from Boy to Man". Fjord Classics (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Aksel Rykkvin". YouTube. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Aksel Rykkvin / baritone". www.fjordclassics.com. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Info". Aksel Rykkvin (in Norwegian). Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ Goude, Mimmi (5 October 2020). "Matthew Marriott - Musikkeriets sangmester for unge voksne". Musikkeriet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Aksel Rykkvin". Oslo Kammermusikkfestival. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "De nominerte til Spellemannprisen" (in Norwegian). NRK. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ "Kulturskolerådets informasjon om konkurransen og kåringen". KulturSkoleRadet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Official Specialist Classical Chart Top 30, p. 9 September 2016–15 September 2016
- ^ Official Specialist Classical Chart Top 30, p. 16 March 2018–22 March 2018
- ^ "Aksel Rykkvin". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ "Light Divine". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Akesel Rykkvin (Boy Soprano) at Bach Cantatas Website
- Video: 12-year-old Aksel Rykkvin sings Bach, Handel and Mozart with the OAE at Gramophone Magazine
- Matthew Mark Marriott teacher website https://sites.google.com/view/matthewmarkmarriott/frontpage
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