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– A highlight of the year

Ingunn Graedler Listuen and around 60 other students at INN University have spent several months preparing to give the inhabitants of Hamar a musical gift during the university's spring concert.

- The spring concert is very special. It is wonderful to perform on a stage where everything, from equipment to sound and lighting, is so professional. It is a highlight of the academic year.

Ingunn

Already in the previous autumn, the planning for the concert began. Months turn into weeks and days, and now there are only hours left until Johannes Flåten Sky will perform at the spring concert for the first time.

Ingunn is sitting by the piano. She is playing and singing in a microphone.

Ingunn will be performing at the university's spring concert for the second time. The audience will get to hear the self-written song 'Lys i mørket', which she will perform together with several fellow students.

Listen to 'Lys i mørket' here (Vimeo)

I enjoy myself the most when I am playing and singing on stage. I realised this early in life. Music has been with me all the way, and it is what I want to pursue.

Johannes

Johannes will be part of four performances: one where he plays piano and synth with a band, one where he sings and plays piano, and two performances as part of a choir.

Rehearsals, sound checks and the final run-through create a sense of unity and prepare the students for the concert. But even with thorough preparations, it is natural for them to occasionally feel nervous and excited beforehand, perhaps especially if they are performing songs they have written themselves.

I have made my friends through music, and playing together brings a unique kind of joy.

I enjoy writing about small moments and moods in life. Emotions and experiences I go through, or stories about people I have been told. Songwriting and singing are what I am truly passionate about right now.

A male student is sitting down and playing the guitar. A woman is standing next to him smiling.

The university's spring concert is organised annually by the graduating students of the music teacher education programme at INN University. Since 2016, the event has been held at the cultural centre in Hamar.

A male student is singing. We see him from the left side. On the top left we see stage lights.

Additionally, about 60 students from our music programmes also perform.

The concert is part of the music communication course that the students have each year.

Two male students are playing guitar on stage. There is smoke in the background.

It is a mandatory project where stage production and communication are in focus.

Among the audience are friends and family. For Ingunn, it is important to perform well for herself and also to give the audience a good experience.

You step right onto the stage and have to perform well immediately. There is no time to warm up, so it is a bit scary, but personally, I get a great kick out of it.

What is going through the head of musicians like Ingunn and Johannes when they perform on stage in front of a big audience?

Ingunn is sitting by the piano and playing at the concert.

It is very immersive. Time seems to stand still in a way. I live in the song, feeling like everyone is closely following what the lyrics are about while also being hyper-focused on the music. I get a completely different feeling when I perform in front of an audience compared to playing for myself.

Johannes is wearing a sparkly jacket and his waiting back stage on his turn to perform.

You are in a bubble where everything revolves around what you are doing in that moment. I am not thinking forwards or backwards in time, but solely focusing on what is happening on stage.

During the concert, Johannes will perform Elton John's version of 'Pinball Wizard'.

Listen to 'Pinball Wizard' with Johannes here (Vimeo)

I wanted to bring a lot of people on stage with me and perform a lively song. I like the way Elton John performs on stage. Since he sings and plays piano like me, I have studied how he performs and what he does so well.

Artists like David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Pink Floyd and The Beatles have also inspired Johannes.

All the music students are gathered as a choir on stage.

This is Ingunn's final performance at the spring concert. She has now completed her music teacher education, and the event will be a grand final to her student life.

I am most grateful for the wonderful and formative years I have had as a student in Hamar. Additionally, I have been able to refine and develop my own Expression as a musician.

Ingunn

I hope to make a living from music and perform my own songs at concerts. Creating music that many people want to listen to is my main goal. Since starting my studies, I have developed a lot and become more confident on stage as an artist and musician.

Johannes