Opening of HM Queen Sonja’s International Music Competition

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here at the opening of HM Queen Sonja’s International Music Competition. The competition has deservedly achieved an international reputation in a very short space of time. It attracts a large number of participants from a wide range of countries, reflecting the level of prestige this event has acquired.

HM Queen Sonja’s International Music Competition is now exclusively a singing competition, and as such enhances Norway’s reputation as a country where singing of the highest quality is valued and encouraged. Oslo can be proud to be the host of a competition that attracts young singers of the highest international calibre. The competitors here today are the great names of tomorrow.

Norwegian musicians are well-respected abroad, and I am happy to say that they are now familiar figures in the most discriminating circles. It is important for Norwegian artists to visit other countries and test their abilities in an international setting. But it is also important that foreign artists can visit Norway, experience something of Norwegian culture and meet the Norwegian public. This competition provides one opportunity for this kind of exchange, where participants can listen to each other’s performances, learn from each other and inspire each other. They also have a chance to meet Norwegian singers and learn about our music traditions. The competition helps to create bonds between the Norwegian music community and the great singers of the future.

Singing is perhaps the art form that gives most immediate expression to human feelings. We sing for joy, but also in sorrow. Song can impel people to action, and it can bring them together in support of beliefs or ideas. We seem to have an inborn need to sing. Singing is nothing less than an expression of the human spirit.

Music is a form of artistic expression we discover very early on in life. The vocal chords of human beings are capable of outstanding musical achievement. And we were quick to invent musical instruments that have enabled us to produce music of an even richer and more varied nature.

Like all forms of art, singing needs its arena. HM Queen Sonja’s International Music Competition is one such arena. And it is a notable one, both because the professional standard is so high and because the performers are here not only to perform but also to listen, and to learn. Here, the performers are part of the audience as well.

I am confident that all the participants will find the competition inspiring and that they will gain valuable professional experience that will benefit them in their careers.

It gives me great pleasure to declare HM Queen Sonja’s International Music Competition to be open.