Roderick Williams
Baritone
You already know everything you need about Roderick to clear the last week of June for us in Risør. We're proud that he himself asked to return as soon as possible after his last visit in 2023. Three years is long enough.
About the Artist
Roderick Williams is the definition of A-list level baritone. He can do everything. He does everything, and even in mature years this force of nature shows no signs of stopping. With a career spanning from baroque to world premieres, we don't have room here to list all the stages and audiences he has conquered with his voice.
In 2023, Williams was personally chosen by King Charles III to both sing and compose at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. He has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and received the Royal Philharmonic Society's Singer of the Year award in 2016.
As mentioned, he enchanted us in 2023, and at his own request, we are welcoming a true world star back to this summer's festival.
Everything needs to be prepared and learned, sung into my body until it fits me comfortably.
Concerts
The Pioneers
Haydn and Beethoven were trailblazers, but they weren't alone in being first with new ideas and approaches. Here we celebrate those who took the leap.
Mahler & Schumann
Two married couples, but quite different marriages. Yet posterity should be grateful that these four people found time to write music amidst everything else.
Romeo & Juliet
The world's most famous lovers have inspired more music than we can perform. So we've selected our favorites from Prokofiev and Bernstein.
My choice is: ...
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson chose April, but what will this year's artists choose when asked to select their favorite composers and works?
Heart Strings
This year's closing concert is inspired by the emotional entanglements between several composers. We also invite the Festival Choir to Risør Church.
