Vilde Frang

Vilde Frang Bjærke (born 19 August 1986) is a Norwegian classical violinist.

Early life and education Born in Oslo, Norway, Frang began playing the violin by the Suzuki method at the age of four. She grew up in a musical family with both her father and her sister playing the double bass. In the years 1993–2002 she studied with Stephan Barratt-Due, Alf Richard Kraggerud and Henning Kraggerud at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo. She was aged twelve in 1999 when Mariss Jansons engaged her as a soloist with the Oslo Philharmonic.

From 2003 to 2009 Frang continued her studies in Germany, with Kolja Blacher at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and Ana Chumachenco at the Kronberg Academy.

Career In 2007, Frang's debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in their Eastbourne series led to a re-engagement in the following season, under Vladimir Jurowski at the Royal Festival Hall. In 2008, Vilde Frang signed exclusively to EMI Classics (now Warner Classics). Her debut album was released in 2009 and received high praise from critics and audiences alike, and she was named EMI Classics' Young Artist of the Year 2010. In 2013 she made her London Proms debut, playing the Bruch Violin Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic under John Storgards at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2016, Frang performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle as part of their Europe Concert in Røros, Norway.

Frang has held a part-time professorship (professor II) at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo since 2013. Until 2021 she has played an 1864 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin. Ritter-Stiftung Grand Prize (2007) Statoil's Classical Music Award (2010) Edison Klassiek Newcomer Award for Prokofiev & Sibelius: Violin Concertos .2011 Echo Klassik Award, newcomer award violin for Grieg, Bartók & R.Strauss: Sonatas. 2011 Edison Klassiek Chamber Music Award for Grieg, Bartók & R. Straus: Sonatas. 2012 Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik (2012) for Nielsen & Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos. Echo Klassik Award (2013) Echo Klassik Award (2015) Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik (2015) for Mozart Violin Concertos 1&5 and Sinfonia Concertante. Echo Klassik Award (2016) Gramophone Classical Music Award (2016) Diapason d'or de l'année (2018) for Bartók Violin Concerto No. 1 & Enescu Octet Grand Prix L'Acádemie Charles Cros (2018) for Bartók Violin Concerto No. 1 and Enescu Octet BBC Music Magazine Award (Chamber Award) 2020 for Veress String Trio & Bartók Piano Quintet. Gramophone Classical Music Award (Chamber Category) (2020) for Veress String Trio & Bartók Piano Quintet. ICMA (International Classical Music Award) (Concertos Category) (2023) for Beethoven & Stravinsky Violin Concertos. Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik (2023) for Beethoven & Stravinsky Violin Concertos. ICMA (International Classical Music Award) (Concertos Category) (2025) for Elgar Violin Concerto. BBC Music Magazine Award (Concerto Award) 2025 for Elgar Violin Concerto. Gramophone Classical Music Award (Concerto Award) 2025 for Elgar Violin Concerto.

Discography Prokofiev & Sibelius: Violin Concertos (2009). With WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and Thomas Søndergård (conductor). EMI Classics Grieg, Bartók, R. Strauss: Violin Sonatas (2011). With Michail Lifits (piano). EMI Classics Nielsen & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos (2012). With Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Eivind Gullberg Jensen (conductor). EMI Classics Mozart: Violin Concertos 1&5 and Sinfonia Concertante (2015). With Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen (conductor) and Maxim Rysanov (viola). Warner Classics Korngold & Britten: Violin Concertos (2016). With Frankfurt Radio Symphony and James Gaffigan (conductor). Warner Classics Homage (2017). With José Gallardo. (piano). Warner Classics Bartók Violin Concerto No.1 & Enescu Octet (2018). With Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mikko Franck (conductor), Erik Schumann, Gabriel Le Magadure, Rosanne Philippens, violins; Lawrence Power, Lily Francis, violas; Nicolas Altstaedt and Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cellos. Warner Classics Veress: String Trio & Bartók: Piano Quintet (2019). With Barnabás Kelemen, violin; Katalin Kokas and Lawrence Power, violas; Nicolas Altstaedt, cello and Alexander Lonquich, piano. Alpha Classics Paganini & Schubert: Works for violin and piano (2019). With Michail Lifits (piano). Warner Classics Beethoven: Songs and Folksongs (2020). With Ian Bostridge (song), Antonio Pappano (piano) and Nicolas Altstaedt (cello). Warner Classics Beethoven & Stravinsky: Violin Concertos (2022). With The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Pekka Kuusisto (conductor). Warner Classics Elgar: Violin Concerto (2024). With Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Robin Ticciati (conductor). Warner Classics