Nils Marius Kjøsnes

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - A duo of Norwegian musicians will perform “Direct from Norway” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, in Overton Hall at California Lutheran University.

Pianist Knut Erik Jensen, music director of the International Opera Institute of California, has performed more than 80 solo concerts featuring Norwegian and international music in the United States since 2007. He played Edvard Grieg’s A-minor Concerto as guest soloist for the opening of the 2007-2008 season of North Dakota’s Minot Symphony Orchestra and performed the same piece with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of the Republic of Moldova in Eastern Europe in 2009. A few weeks later, he completed his master’s examination concert at the University of Trondheim playing Alexander Scriabin’s piano concerto with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Jensen has recorded two CDs of Norwegian piano music: “Edvard Grieg – Anniversary Collection” and “Nordic Elegance.”

Clarinetist Nils Marius Kjøsnes has been playing in concert bands since he picked up the clarinet at the age of 8. He is a former member of the Norwegian Royal Air Force Band and played Claude Debussy’s “Premiere Rhapsodie” with the Student Society Orchestra of Trondheim in 2009. Kjøsnes recently founded iQuintet, a woodwind quintet that plays a broad repertoire of chamber music. He is working on his master’s degree in American and European clarinet music from the 20th century and this tour is the first of three major graduate projects.

Donations will be accepted at the free concert.

Overton Hall is located south of Memorial Parkway near Regent Avenue. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu.