Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen (born 11 January 1964 in Oslo) is a Norwegian contemporary composer.
Life.
Aagaard-Nilsen grew up in Kabelvåg on Lofoten in northern Norway. From 1986 to 1990 he studied at the Bergen Conservatory of Music (now known as the Grieg Academy) and at the University of Bergen. From 1990 to 1994 he worked at the Bergen Conservatory as a teacher of contemporary classical music. Furthermore, he was leader of the "Autunnale-festivalen - (Music Factory and Autunnale)", also in Bergen. In 1992 and 1993 he arranged and composed for the "Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps Vestlandet - Norwegian Army Band, Bergen (NABB)", writing, among other works, "Arctic Landscape". In this period Aagaard-Nilsen wrote many works for wind band and brass band.
Aagaard-Nilsen works as conductor of various school and amateur orchestras, and also as a teacher at the "Manger Folkehøgskule". He founded the forum "Av garde" together with Ketil Hvoslef, Jostein Stalheim and Knut Vaage.
As a composer he has written for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, wind band and brass band. Works that exemplify Aagard-Nilsen's focus on narrative and visual aspects in a nearly impulsive form include "Fabula I "and "Fabula II" (1996), "Sinfonietta" (1998) and "The Season of Blue Lights" (2008) commissioned by BIT20 Ensemble. A stronger focus on expressive elements in Aagard-Nilsen's output is evident in works such as "Pierrot's Lament" (Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra), premiered in 2001 with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. The trumpet concerto "Blue Phrases" (2007), the sinfonietta "The Season of Blue Light" and quartet "Blue Fragments" (2008) are additional examples of Aagard-Nilsen's expressive focus; while the orchestral work "Boreas Sings" (2012) represents a new direction in which a spectrum of colours and dancing rhythms become evident. 2014 saw his orchestral work "Boreas Blæs" (2014) premiered by the Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra at the opening ceremony of Stormen, Bodø's concert hall.
In 2016 Aagard-Nilsen received the Norwegian Music Publishing Association's Annual Award for his work "Dirty Dancing", commissioned and premiered by the Christiania Blåseensemble in 2015.