Josefine Opsahl

APPEARING: BROOKLYN MARATHON @ Baby's All Right

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Josefine Opsahl (b. 1992) is a ‘boundary defying and remarkable Danish composer and artist’ (The Strad 2022) who integrates aesthetics across eras of music, art, performance, spaces and communities. Extending her background in Classical music into contemporary medias of expression, she melts down barriers and genres resulting in ‘a truly original and contemporary expression that is remarkable for Josefine’s young age’ (HM King of Denmark 2022).

With an emphasis on tradition and renewal, tactility, movement and virtuosity, she has established herself, her works and performances with her main instrument, the cello, as leading forces on the international scene. She has received numerous awards for her work – latest The Danish Arts Foundation’s Honorary Work Grant 2024, The Crown Prince Couple’s Cultural Stardust Award 2022, the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize 2021 and Wilhelm Hansen Foundation‘s Scholarship of Honor 2020.

Her recent major works count two operas, music for two new ballets with The Royal Ballet in Copenhagen (DK), symphonic works, performances and installations. Her latest opera “HJEM” was nominated for a Reumert award 2024 and was praised for Josefine’s radical and uncompromising style. She was hailed to be “a fearless” and “outstanding opera composer” (Politiken and Magasinet Klassisk), “Josefine Opsahl has created a very significant work - a hugely successful modern opera that not only seems relevant, but practically crawls under the skin of the audience’ (Gaffa), while her first opera ”DrømmeDøden” was announced to be ‘a musical sensation’ by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (SE). Her newest orchestral work ‘A Mass of Stars Block the View’ premiered in the Elbphilharmonie (DE) in June 2024 with Berlin Academy of American Music and was a huge success. In the Spring of 2023 she had the premiere of her own Concerto for Cel lo and Orchestra, “HANDS” as well as her US solo debut at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC).

Josefine is signed with the German record label Neue Meister / Edel and they will collaborate on her next three solo albums. The first album, ‘CYTROPIA’, will come out in February 2025 and she will be touring concert halls with the album in the US as well as in Europe: DE, BE, LT, LV, NO, FI and DK. Furthermore, 2025 sees the world premieres of her new works “EKKO Opera” (Cph Opera Festival), “Frankly” for symphony orchestra (Cph Phil), the dance theatre performance “Shah Mat” (Uppercut and Holstebro Dance Theatre) and the choral installation “The Wallpaper Serenades” alongside a number of works for prominent international venues, orchestras and ensembles.

Josefine’s works have been performed and she has toured throughout Europa, The United States, in Asia as well as in south America and her album releases have received stunning reviews and awards, recently the Round Glass Music Award (US) and the Danish Radio P2’s Listeners’ Prize. Her solo debut album, ‘Atrium’ released with Dacapo Records in August 2022 received rave reviews in international newspa pers and magazines stating that ‘It’s evocative hip music’ (Gramophone Magazine 2022) and‘Her music is both technically refined and emotionally charged’ - (Dagens Nyheter 2022).

Josefine Opsahl is teaching advanced postgraduate students at the The National Academy of Music (DK) and has given lectures in Shanghai, at Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm (SE), The Royal Danish Academy of Music and The Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and The University of Copenhagen (DK). She studied classical and contemporary cello playing at the Royal Danish Academy of Music (DK) and Northwestern University (IL, USA) and holds an Advanced Postgraduate Soloist degree within Contemporary Creative Art.

Josefine is signed with the internationally renowned Karsten Witt Music Management (DE) as well as The ACT Agency (DE) and collaborates with publisher Edition Wilhelm Hansen who takes care of her compositional works and project.