Wednesday 18 March, 20:00
(Doors open at 19:30)
Oslo Cathedral
Adult: 400 NOK
Senior/student: 300 NOK
Child: 100 NOK
Duration: approx. 1 hour
WORLD PREMIERE:
TYLER FUTRELL: EPILOG: ON THE NATURE OF THINGS
WORKS BY ERIC WHITACRE AND J.S. BACH
AMALIE STALHEIM, cello
OSLO CATHEDRAL CHOIR
ODDGEIR KJETILSTAD, conductor
The last work in Tyler Futrell’s church music trilogy
The Church Music Festival is premiering Tyle Futrell’s latest commissioned work, Epilog: On the Nature of Things, written for Amalie Stalheim and Oslo Cathedral Choir on commission by the festival. The work is the last chapter in Futrell’s church music trilogy. The works have had their world premieres during the Oslo International Church Music Festival in 2022, 2024, and 2026. Like the two previous works, Stabat mater and the requiem Rest, the epilogue moves from the personal to the universal, and grapples with big questions and experiences. Taking inspiration from the Bible, De Rerum Natura (“On the Nature of Things”) by Lucretius, as well as modern science, this is an exploration of creation and decay, love and loss, life and afterlife. The work’s structure follows a creation-and-decay process: the choir and a lone cello lead the audience from darkness to light, from chaos to form – and back into silence. The result is a meditative reflection on the human’s place in the universe.
Oslo Cathedral Choir under the direction of the choir’s new conductor, Oddgeir Kjetilstad, performs the American composer Eric Whitacre’s When David Heard – a powerful work about King David’s grief following his son’s death. On the program we also find two Anglican chants, both with lyrics from the Book of Psalms. Stalheim performs J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, one of the most important works in the cello repertoire.
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Fra dypet roper jeg til deg, Herre
M: Sir Henry Walford Davies (1869–1941)
T: Psalm 130
When David Heard
M: Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
T: Second Book of Samuel 18,33
Herre, jeg løfter min sjel til deg
M: John Aveyard
T: Psalm 25
J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 3, BWV 1009
Amalie Stalheim, cello
Epilog: On the Nature of Things (world premiere)
M: Tyler Futrell (b. 1983)
T: Tyler Futrell -
Tyler Futrell (b. 1983) is an Oslo-based composer with roots from California. He has collaborated with a number of renowned ensembles and festivals. Futrell’s music explores the intersection between different historic movements, and often uses space and bodily movements as a part of the work’s logic. His debut album Stabat mater (2024), released at BIS, garnered broad acclaim, chosen as one of the best albums of the year by Gramophone and nominated for several Spellemann awards. The main work was also nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize. Futrell is the recipient of a number of grants and awards, among then the Government Grant for Artists. Futrell’s works are released by Edition Wilhelm Hansen and the National Library.
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Amalie Stalheim has made a name for herself as a versatile and intriguing cellist. In addition to performing the traditional cello concerts as a soloist in Europe, Stalheim is deeply committed to commissioning and performing newly written, classical music. She has collaborated with composers such as Missy Mazzoli, Anders Hillborg, Britta Byström, Therese Ulvo, Jo David Meyer, and Jostein Stalheim. Through these collaborations, she has contributed at large to the modern cello repertoire, with eight cello concert premieres, of which several have been recorded.
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Oslo Cathedral Choir’s activities range from concert productions, weekly participation in church services, and public and national engagement, including CD recordings and tours. The choir regularly works with professional musicians and orchestras, and has a wide repertoire from early music to newly written works. For the last few years, the choir has also taken part in Olavsfest, Ultima, Bergen International Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival, and Oslo Chamber Music Festival.
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Oddgeir Kjetilstad has been the artistic director of Oslo Cathedral Choir since autumn 2025. For several years, Kjetilstad has been the artistic director for Stavanger Cathedral Choir and Stavanger Cathedral boys choir, as well as for the professional ensembles Stavanger katedralsangere and Stavanger katedralensemble. For the season 24/25, Kjetilstad was the acting cathedral cantor in Nidaros Cathedral. As a singer and conductor, he has worked with most professional choirs and vocal ensembles in Norway, among them as a permanent singer in the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir.
Photo: Amalie Stalheim: Chris Ray, Oslo Domkor: Sveinung Hoel Bjorå, Oddgeir Kjetilstad: David Dawson
