Oslo Circles

“Entirely wonderful. Terrifically inventive.” – klassiskmusikk.com
“Truly magical. Sparks fly.” – BR Klassik
“Exceptionally accomplished and full of exuberance.”  – Vårt Land
“Highly virtuosic. A nonplus ultra for baroque fans.” – FONO FORUM
“Oslo Circles moves me to tears.” – ballade.no
“Excellently performed.” – musicweb-international

The critically acclaimed baroque ensemble Oslo Circles was founded in 2015 by baroque violinist Astrid Kirschner, and brings together leading musicians from the Scandinavian and international early music scenes. With curiosity, playfulness, and deep passion, the ensemble breathes new life into old scores – revealing how vividly baroque music can speak to modern audiences.

The members of Oslo Circles are also active in renowned baroque ensembles such as Concerto Copenhagen, B’Rock, Academia Montis Regalis, Barokkanerne, Barokksolistene, and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

The ensemble has collaborated with a wide range of celebrated soloists, including mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland, countertenor David Hansen, bass-baritone Johannes Weisser, soprano Berit Norbakken, harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini, flautist Barthold Kuijken – among many others.

Oslo Circles has appeared at international festivals such as Barocktage Melk (Austria), Froville Festival (France), Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg (Germany), Baroque & Beyond (Sweden), Wunderkammer (Italy), Oslo Chamber Music Festival (Norway), Korkyra Baroque Festival (Croatia), Trondenesdagene (Norway), Spazio & Musica (Italy), and Varaždin Baroque Nights (Croatia), where the ensemble was awarded the Croatian Critics’ Prize in 2019 for best musical interpretation of their program Lamento at the festival.

The ensemble’s recordings have received high praise in international media, earning superlative reviews. Their album Lamento was also nominated for the German Opus Klassik Award 2022 – in three categories.

In 2025, Oslo Circles celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Marianne Beate Kielland

« A singer with such a charisma challenged her colleagues. » (Dreh-Punkt-Kultur) Mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland is famous for her strong stage presence and musical integrity. Gramophone Magazine writes about her: « The mezzo-soprano is quite outstanding: strong, firm, sensitive in modulations, imaginative in her treatment of words, with a voice pure in quality, wide in range and unfalteringly true in intonation. »

Marianne Beate Kielland – mezzo-soprano is an outstanding Norwegian concert singer. She is educated from Norwegian Academy of Music, where she studied with Svein Bjørkøy. She has also studied with Oren Brown and Barbara Bonney.

​She is one of Europe’s foremost classical singers, and regularly appears in the concert halls of Europe, Japan and America with conductors such as: Masaaki Suzuki, Juanjo Mena, Andrew Manze, Markus Poschner, Michel Corboz, Leonardo Alarcon, Herbert Blomstedt, Jordi Savall, Rinaldo Alessandrini, René Jacobs, Pablo Heras-Casadon Han-Na Chang and Ottavio Dantone. 
Although Marianne Beate Kielland focused her 25 year long career on the concert repertoire, she has also performed operas on major opera stages, like Bolshoj-theatre in Moscow, Opera Comique in Paris, Opera Royal of Versailles, Salzburg Mozartwoche and New National Theatre in Tokyo.

In 2012 she was US Grammy nominee in « Best Vocal Classical Album» for « Veslemøy Synsk » by Olav Anton Thommessen, and with this and more than 65 other recordings and a wide range of repertoire and performances, she is established as a remarkable interpreter of music from baroque to contemporary era.

Marianne Beate Kielland is the artistic leader of Oslo Chamber Music Festival and also part-time associate professor at Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.