Arkhangelsk preparing for May 17th

Arkhangelsk is a city where you will always feel a rather strong Norwegian presence. Many of the citizens have friends, partners and relatives in Norway. That is why the Norwegian Constitution Day is celebrated here every year, and the festival has become a very important day for people in Arkhangelsk with ties to Norway.

The Norwegian Spring festival is an initiative by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat's Arkhangelsk office, which is also the Honorary Consulate to Norway in the Pomor city. 

The band called "Oh"
Several centuries of active trade between the Pomor Land and Northern Norway, have made way for a large number of Russian-Norwegian projects. They involve the regional authorities, municipalities, universities, schools and colleges, NGOs, cultural associations and so on, and many of the people involved contribute in making the Norwegian Spring festival a memorable event. 

This year the festival will be opened with a concert by a young but rapidly progressing Norwegian musicians under the intriguing name “The Band Called Oh”. Some of the “Oh” musicians have already visited Arkhangelsk, but as a part of different jazz projects, but now they are back with new style, sound and image. 

On May 17th the exhibition “Tundra Archives” by Inger Blix Kvammen will also open in Arkhangelsk. Kvammen is a famous Norwegian designer and photographer, and has made an exhibition which reflects the culture of indigenous people in Russia. Inger Kvammen presents her design works inspired by Sami and Nenets motifs and photos from her expeditions on the Nenets tundra.  On Sunday May 15th Inger will also give a master class to the local artists and designers.

Paperwork art
Another art exhibition which will be presented in Arkhangelsk in May is made by Norwegian and Russian cultural school students. Recently they worked together in Norway and the result are fantastic paperwork compositions inspired by the old fairy tales of Russian Pomors and Northern Norwegians. The opening of this exhibition will be preceded by the choreographic spectacle prepared by young Russian and Norwegian dancers.

Another concert to be presented on May 17 in Arkhangelsk is devoted to the memory of famous Norwegian opera singer Anne-Lise Berntsen, who was connected to Arkhangelsk through her many cultural projects. Berntsen died in November 2012, and her last performance in Arkhangelsk was made on May 17th the same year. The concert in her memory will be a performed by the ensemble of classical music “Pomor Ensemble”, which also was founded by Anne-Lise. They will perform together with Norwegian clarinet player Håvard Wøhni.

See photos from Norwegian Spring festival in Arkhangelsk previous years. 

May 17th parade in Arkhangelsk. However, this year there will be no parade, but instead lots of concerts and exhibitions.

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