Øyvind Aase
The pianist and writer Øyvind Aase was born in Bergen, Norway. His formal musical education includes exams in musicology from the University of Oslo and the Concert Recital Diploma (Premier Prix) from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, after a performance of, among other, Beethoven`s Piano Sonata op. 101 and Brahms`s Fantasien op. 116. His piano teachers have been the concert pianists Jan Henrik Kayser (Bergen), Eline Nygaard (University of Oslo) and Edith Vogel (Guildhall, London). He has also taken lessons from the pianists Charles Rosen, Albert Ferber and Jenny Solheid (piano), and the violinists Manoug Parikian and Sergiu Luca (chamber music).

Øyvind Aase made his official debut as a concert pianist at the famous concert hall of the University of Oslo (Universitetets Aula) at the age of twenty, playing major works by Schubert, Schumann and Debussy. His performance of Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze op.6 in particular received critical acclaim in five papers. Today Øyvind Aase is a versatile performer. He has made recordings (in studio and live) for the Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Bulgarian state radios. His CD recordings include 9 volumes (10 records). In Evening Air: Piano Moods 1900-2000 aims to show the wide range of the piano sound of the 20th Century, presenting 33 leading musical profiles from the period. Among his many projects dedicated to Nordic music, his CD Nordic Piano Music for Children presents lesser known works by such composers as Johan Kvandal (Norway), Leifur Thórarinsson (Iceland) and Adolf Wiklund (Sweden). Among the Nordic composers Alf Hurum, Norway`s first musical impressionist, plays an important part in Aase`s recording career. His 4 CD recording The Hurum Collection is the first thorough presentation of Hurum`s chamber music for and with piano to be released on CD.