The students speech at opening of the academic year 2025

WELCOME to the norwegian academy of music, welcome to Norway, and last but not least, though it pains me to say this as a proud Bergenser! welcome to Oslo, probably the city in Norway with the most cultural opportunities for us students.

Some of you are staying for a semester, some for a year, and hopefully, some for the rest of your lives. And with your very best intentions in mind, let me give you this advice: go out of your comfort zone.

Coming to a new country is never easy – especially at the start.

Norway is a rather introverted country. A friend of mine from UiO once told me: “If half the seats on a bus are taken, technically, the bus is full.” And I think this is a pretty accurate symbol of how we think. It’s not that we don’t like new people – we just don’t want to bother them.

So, very often, you will need to make the first move. But don’t be afraid – because once you do, you will find that most people are very open to meeting new friends. Especially when we all share one big thing in common music.

So I urge you: seek discomfort. Seek new experiences. Because suddenly your time here will be over – and I guarantee you, the pain of regret will always be stronger than the pain of discomfort. Always.

And so, as my allocated speech time comes to an end, there are a few things I want to leave with all new students at NMH:

Use your time wisely – not efficiently.

You now have the rare opportunity of being a student at NMH.

You have the chance to meet people from all walks of life.

You have the opportunity to try, to fail, to try again – without real consequences.

So go out there.

Play with someone you never thought you’d play with.

Try something you never thought you’d try in your musical career.

Build not only your technique and skill, but your network of friends, colleagues, and fellow musicians.

Because one day, your time here will be over.

And I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, it won’t be the hours in the practice room, or the scales you mastered, that you will remember.

It will be the people you did it with.

The ones you rehearsed with.

The ones you sat beside in a concert – whether in the audience or on stage.

So go out there. Create community. Seek fellowship. And don’t forget to seek a little bit of madness too.

Welcome to a new school year.