My name is Michael Dabelsteen, born in 1955.
I'm a double bassist in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
I started my life as a professional musician in 1980. After playing guitar in a rock band for a few years in high school, I became so fascinated by the double bass that I switched instruments and started studying privately and then at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Royal Danish Academy of Music and later for periods abroad.
While studying, I worked as a freelance musician in the Danish symphony orchestras and was busy as a studio musician and touring with musical projects in various genres - including a couple of years of collaboration in the early eighties with actors Karen Lise Mynster and Henrik Koefoed on Bertolt Brecht songs, shows, etc.
In 1988 I joined the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra - now the Danish National Symphony Orchestra - which is still my primary workplace. Alongside my work in the symphony orchestra, I have been very active as a chamber musician, and have taught at the music conservatories in Copenhagen and Malmö, among others.
I was for many years a member of the Collegium Musicum orchestra and the Trinitatis Chamber Orchestra, and have participated in several CD recordings, especially of the classical chamber music repertoire.
For the past 17 years, I have also been the director of the annual North Zealand cultural event Frederiksværk Music Festival - a project that could be called ”an extensive hobby”.
I particularly enjoy playing Romantic and late Romantic music with my orchestra. One of the most difficult tasks I remember was when the orchestra was ”Orchestra in Residence” in Athens many years ago, where we performed Richard Strauss” opera ”Die Frau ohne Schatten" with Michael Schönwandt conducting. A marvellous and very complicated work.......
In addition to all the classical music I get to experience in the concert hall, I listen a lot to the excellent programme P8 Jazz.
Tobias Nilsson, my name is Tobias Nilsson, born 21 November 1975 in Gothenburg, Sweden
Countertenor, i.e. alto 2 in the Vocal Ensemble
I started playing the piano when I was seven years old, and eight years later I started singing lessons. Growing up in church and playing the piano, it was only natural to train as an organist! After that, I was a freelance singer and organist for many years.
In 2013 I joined the Vocal Ensemble
I also sing with Göteborg Baroque and have joined both Ars Nova and Musica Ficta. As well as several other ensembles! I'm also a frequent soloist in oratorios and cantatas.
I have a preference for French Baroque music, but if I had to pick just one composer, it would be Johann Sebastian Bach!
And I like to play pop music from the eighties on the piano...
The hardest thing I've ever played/sung?
“Lamentationes Sacrae et Profanae ad Responsoria Iesualdi” by Klaus Huber