About the ensemble Currentes

Currentes

Currentes was founded in 2006 by its artistic director, Jostein Gundersen. Since then, it has performed in Norway, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Currentes defines its artistic goals as within the field of historically informed performance and specialises in polyphonic music from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its particular interest is the exploration of that which has not been transmitted in musical notation, such as instrumentation, improvisation of ornaments, or entire parts. The ensemble ́s interest in new forms of expression has led not only to unorthodox performances of medieval and renaissance music, but also to its commissioning of a new work by the Norwegian composer, Eivind Buene. The ensemble´s first CD was released in January 2012 on LAWO Classics.

Currentes is co-founder and partner of Bergen Medieval Music Days www.bmmd.no, a festival that takes place every September.

Jostein Gundersen graduated in 2009 from the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme www.kunststipendiat.no (equivalent to an academic PhD), as the first artist with historical music as speciality. Besides his concert activities, Jostein Gundersen teaches at the University of Bergen, Grieg Academy - Institute of Music, and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy" in Leipzig.

Currentes receives a prestigious ensemble support from Arts Council Norway, and has been generously funded by City of Bergen, Fund for performing artists and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.