24th January - 1st February 2025
"They each operate in their own distinctive corner of the modern music industry and can create magic from virtually any musical expression and genre."
Published September 24th 2024
The Northern Lights Festival is making a new move for 2025 and, for the first time, featuring two artists in recidence. Our new festival director, Sergej Schroeter, can hardly hide his excitement as we now welcome to Tromsø: Mimmi Tamba and Marius Neset!
Mimmi Tamba and Marius Neset are two of the most exciting musicians and composers in Norway today. They each operate in their own distinctive corner of the modern music industry and can create magic from virtually any musical expression and genre.
Mimmi Tamba continues to captivate the Norwegian music scene with her celebrated voice and performance abilities. She has taken part in several major productions as an actress, including Lazarus, The Book of Mormon, and Frozen. In the fall of 2024, she is set to appear in The Bodyguard, earning rave reviews for her performances. At the same time, she writes music in the style she has dubbed “Renaissance-pop,” materialized in her albums Semper Eadem (2020) and Titanic (2022). The former was nominated for both the Spellemann and Edvard Awards, while the performance of the same title and music won the Hedda Award for Best Music Theater. Titanic was hailed as one of the best albums of 2023 by Dagsavisen.
Tamba has stated: “I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to play a concert in my hometown, and now it’s here!”
The festival director adds: “I’ve missed seeing Mimmi more on stage in Tromsø, but I must admit, it gives us a great momentum to present her on a large scale in 2025. Her music and musical performances are nothing short of incredibly impressive!”
“I don’t think much about genres. Everything is music. At the opening concert, the audience will be taken on a journey where older classical music meets new music. This journey can be quite spectacular, full of contrasts, colors, and lots of energy.”
- Marius Neset
Since day one, Marius Neset has continuously wowed audiences and the press worldwide. He has worked on prestigious collaborations with big names like the London Sinfonietta, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and the Danish Radio Big Band. So far in his career, he has received over 20 awards and nominations for his work, including Spellemann Awards and German ECHO Awards. There are few composers and musicians who handle the fusion of jazz and classical music in such a playful, creative, and seamless way as Marius Neset.
Here are the five concerts featuring the festival profiles, launching on Wednesday, September 25th, at 11:00 AM:
1. OPENING CONCERT: MARIUS NESET & ARCTIC PHILHARMONY
Thursday, January 23rd at 7:00 PM, and Friday, January 24th at 7:00 PM on the Main Stage, Tromsø Culture House
Together with our good friends at the Arctic Philharmonic, Marius Neset will have the honor of opening the Northern Lights Festival 2025. The concert will feature a selection of Neset's orchestral compositions, including Manmade, which was commissioned by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and awarded the Spellemann Prize in 2014. Few composers and musicians handle the fusion of genres and expressions in such a playful, creative, and seamless way – we are very excited!
“He’s not the future of European jazz, he’s the present.”
– Brian Morton, Downbeat, 2022
2. MARIUS NESET & TROMSØ BIG BAND
Sunday, January 26th at 8:00 PM on the Main Stage, Tromsø Culture House
The Tromsø Big Band has an extensive list of prestigious collaborations with national and international star musicians. The wish list for new collaborations has been equally ambitious, and Marius Neset has been at the top of that list for as long as anyone can remember. Finally, it has come together, and we also get the honor of experiencing the Norwegian premiere of music from Tributes, a celebrated commission Neset did for the Danish Radio Big Band in 2019.
“Probably some of the hippest and most challenging music we’ve ever done. I’m really looking forward to this!”
– Fred Glesnes, leader of the Tromsø Big Band
3. MIMMI, MARIUS & THE MUSIC CONSERVATORY
Wednesday, January 29th at 8:00 PM at Verdensteatret
The Music Conservatory has long been one of the most important collaborators of the Northern Lights Festival, and the music students annually fill large parts of the festival with fantastic music, talent, and enthusiasm. In 2025, it is particularly exciting that the Conservatory is inviting both festival profiles to work in an educational and artistic collaboration. Mimmi Tamba and Marius Neset will bring their own repertoire to work with the music students. After a couple of intense rehearsal days, it will all culminate in a concert at Verdensteatret.
4. MIMMI TAMBA & LISA SKOGLUND
What lies behind friendship? Why is the importance of friendships downplayed throughout a long life, while romantic love gets all the attention in art and culture? In this concert, Mimmi Tamba and Lisa Skoglund will talk about their friendship, cover each other’s songs, and try to explain why they have managed to maintain their close bond over the past decade. Mimmi is one of this year's festival profiles, while Lisa is a highly acclaimed artist in Tromsø, known for her intimate performances and personal lyrics. Joining them on stage is pianist and honorary woman, Stine Maren Steien, who will help them convey the music in a stripped-down and intimate manner.
5. CLOSING CONCERT: MIMMI TAMBA – SEMPER EADEMFestival profile Mimmi Tamba will close the festival with a specially tailored performance. On stage, she will be joined by dancers, a full band, and a string quartet from Music in Nordland. The music is drawn from the critically acclaimed albums Semper Eadem and Titanic. Semper Eadem was nominated for Spellemann and Edvard Awards, and the performance won the Hedda Award for Best Music Theater. Mimmi has a unique ability to captivate audiences, taking them on a journey using theatrical effects. She has been inspired by Queen Elizabeth I and the Renaissance era. Mimmi is focused on breaking out of her own stereotype, shedding façades, and using her full potential.
“Semper Eadem is a masterpiece musically, visually, performatively, and conceptually.
– Per Christian Selmer-Anderssen, Aftenposten
“Marius and Mimmi are two very different artists, but they share a unique ability to create timeless music, crossing the usual boundaries of genres. With these two as festival profiles in 2025, we capture the essence of the Northern Lights Festival: creating memorable moments through the meeting of different perspectives, expressions, and people. We look forward to presenting the profiles and showcasing their range in various settings during the festival. Personally, I’m most excited about the outcome of their collaboration with the students at the Conservatory!”
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 25th, at 11:00 AM.
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