Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Festival Special 2017
Trygve Seim. Photo: Knut Bry
Jazzing it up for Hamar’s emerging cultural scene A young jazz festival is growing towards the goal of becoming one of Norway’s most important jazz events. Tailored to music lovers, AnJazz offers an opportunity to discover new genres of jazz in the heart of Hamar, one of eastern Norway’s culturally fastest growing towns. By Ingvild Vetrhus
“It will never get boring,” says festival producer, Anja Katrine Tomter, referring to AnJazz’s innovation focus. “Even our senior audience is exploring experimental genres,” she says, adding that the festival has also attracted an increasing number of young, curious concert goers over the 13 years it has been in existence. Despite its size, the festival’s focus on providing a local, national and international line-up provides small and specialised performances in addition to mainstream concerts. Last year, famous headliners such as Norwegian singer Ane Brun and Grammy award-winning American cappella group Take 6 were contributing to the festival’s success. Tomter explains that, every year, producers work hard to create a programme that represents acts 38 | Issue 96 | January 2017
from different genres within jazz to provide quality, festivities and “emotionally loaded concerts”. Alternative or mainstream, the festival has “something for everyone”, says Tomter. Norwegian acts such as prominent pop musician Sigvart Dagsland will perform, adding to an already wide spectrum of genres and music experiences. Located on the shores of Norway’s largest lake, Mjøsa, the festival is just an hour’s drive away from Oslo. The festival host town of Hamar has established itself as a town of culture and is attracting a growing number of specialised restaurants. “In addition to a good music experience, you will also encounter exciting locally produced foods,” says Tomter. As the jazz venues are all positioned within the triangle of some of the town’s
central cultural hubs, including Hamar Cathedral, they are situated only a few minutes apart. In contrast to large festivals, AnJazz’s infrastructure and tailored programme make it difficult to miss favourite acts, which is Tomter’s idea of a “car-free cultural experience”. As feedback from last year’s audience prompted “best festival of the year”, Tomter promises to deliver an even richer music and cultural experience for 2017. “We still want it to be the music experience that everyone is talking about,” she ends.
China Moses. Photo: Sylvain Norget
For more information, please visit: www.anjazz.no