Ariane Jebsen Alvestad

with Nikita Khnykin

Festival Academy of Bergen

Violinist and Bergen native Ariane Jebsen Alvestad made her Festival debut in 2023 as part of the mentoring program Klassisk Link, and is rapidly establishing herself on the classical stage. In this concert, she joins pianist Nikita Khnykin for works by Amanda Maier-Röntgen, Kaija Saariaho, and Claude Debussy. 

'Some of these works I have wanted to play for a long time, and I now get to perform them for the first time. For me, this music evokes many different emotions. It is a meeting between the French and the Nordic, between different soundscapes and moods,' the violinist explains. 

In 2026, the Bergen International Festival presents a series of five concerts at Gamlehaugen featuring young string players and pianists taking part in the Festival Academy of Bergen – an annual meeting place for emerging musicians. Khnykin will also appear at the Festival in his own piano recital at Gamlehaugen, as well as in a concert with violinist Olga Melby Larsson at the same venue. 

Image: Ariane Jebsen Alvestad. Photo: Elisabeth Emmerhoff

Supported by

Contributors

• Ariane Jebsen Alvestad violin

• Nikita Khnykin piano

Works

• Amanda Maier-Röntgen (1853–1894)
  6 pieces for Violin and Piano
  1. Allegro vivace
  2. Allegro con moto
  3. Lento
  4. Allegro molto
  5. Tranquillamente
  6. Allegro, ma non troppo

• Torgrim Castberg (1874–1928)
  Berceuse

• Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023)
  Tocar for Violin and Piano

• Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
  Violin Sonata in G minor
  1. Allegro vivo
  2. Intermède. Fantasque et léger
  3. Finale. Très animé

A collaboration between

Bergen International Festival and Statsbygg
Bergen International Festival and Voksenåsen Music Academies