The Christmas Choir at Oslo Prison, together with the conductor Charlotte Fongen, and Henning Kvitnes(on the far right), gathered in the gymnasium of Oslo Prison where all recordings of the choir were made.
Together with the popular Norwegian singer Henning Kvitnes and a country-rock band of top musicians from the US, Sweden and Norway, inmates from Oslo Prison formed the choir for a new Christmas record. The record has already received an overwhelming reception, achieving the highest score of all Christmas records – 5 out of six points from eleven of the country’s largest newspapers!
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Text and photos: Knut-Erik Rønningen, published 13.12.10.
It all started with Erik Hillestad contacting Torbjørn Rodal, Music Teacher at Oslo East (Grønland) Adult Education (GVO) Department, responsible for all education at Oslo Prison. Erik informed Torbjørn of the project, explaining that he wanted to make a new type of Christmas record, rough but genuine. He wanted to join forces with people who had really lived, for better or worse, to sing together about life.
-My first reaction was that this was an unbelievably good idea, an activity we just had to be a part of, commented Torbjørn. Audition
-We started by holding auditions for 22 inmates. To joint the choir you had to be able to sing in tune and speak Norwegian. After the auditions there were seven participants left. We held our first choir practice during the same week. Then Charlotte Fongen came along, asking each of the seven to sing solo. This approach soon created a sense of groups security, explained our enthusiastic music teacher.
-Erik Hillestad eventually came along, leading the recording sessions in an extremely effective and enjoyable manner. Unique experience
-This has been a huge lot of fun for the inmates who also gained a unique experience of successfully accomplishing something worthwhile. And it has been fun for us too to be able to draw on such a valuable resource completely free. A choir creates its own dynamics and the process resulted in a well integrated team, comments Torbjørn Rodal.
Closed Concert: This picture shows the choir preparing to hold a Christmas Concert for the inmates of Block A, in Department B.
In the cell: Erik makes the time go by, practicing on his guitar.
Singing in tune
-For me everything began with Torbjørn coming into my cell to ask whether I wanted to some along and sing. Seems OK I thought, after all I just sit in my cell all day long so no matter what it is anything is better than that! And then I came to the audition. Three of us had to sing the most popular Norwegian Christmas Carol ‘Deilig er jorden’ (How wonderful our Earth). Fortunately I managed to sing in tune with a clear voice and so was granted a place in the choir immediately, comments Erik, one of the inmates in the Christmas Choir at Oslo Prison. Best ever prison custody
-I play the guitar and have sung in bands before, but it really surprised me how enjoyable it was to sing in a choir. We have become really good team-mates. Serving my sentence has been a better experience. You simply wait and look forward to the next choir practice, then time goes fast! So this has been the best period in prison I have ever had, and I have had quite a few, comments Erik, who goes on to explain:
-Erik Hillestad is extremely pleasant and inspiring. He is not snobbish or aloof. He stood there with tears rolling down his cheeks as we sang ‘Deilig er jorden’. That is truly great feedback to get, he smiles.
Erik must do time in prison at Christmas. He doesn’t think it will be pleasant, but says it is easier now that his kids have become older. Living legend
Several of the musicians on the record are legendary, as indeed this story from Erik confirms:
-I sat in my cell reading Keith Richard’s new biography, when suddenly I came across a name I seemed to recognize. After a few moments of thought I pierced down at the cover of our Christmas record and saw the same name. It was Larry Campbell and he has not only played together with the Rolling Stones, but also permanently with Bob Dylan for seven-eight years! At this point I almost felt as though I was part of his musical history, so fantastic! Concert
The next thing that will happen is the Concert in St. Jacob’s Church in Oslo on Friday 17.12.10. Then they will get to meet the legendary American musicians who are also on the record. The choir has only sung to playbacks so far.
-Our experiences with the choir have been so good that we hope to carry on with prison choir activities, added Torbjørn Rodal, music teacher, at Oslo East (Grønland) Adult Education (GVO) Department.
Inspirator: Charlotte Fongen was Music Director, leading all practice sessions with the men in a fantastic, warm and professional manner. This picture is from Dept. 4 during preparations for the Annual Christmas Concert for inmates in Block A.
Comment by the Norwegian Church Culture Workshop on the record:
We carry the tradition of Christmas with us from year to year – to remind us that the most beautiful things can occur in the deepest darkness.
Inmates at Oslo Prison sing Christmas Carols along with Henning Kvitnes and a country-rock band of top musicians from the US, Sweden and Norway.
Each and every one of us can sometimes be isolated and rejected. Maria og Joseph probably felt in this way as they approached the birth and they could not find a place to rest, but had to make do with a dirty place between cold stone walls. But life goes on and must be lived each hour, whether we are in a warm lounge with close relatives and friends, or we are refugees and homeless, or locked in a cell.
In order to highlight some of these dimensions through the message of Christmas, the Norwegian Church Culture Workshop has made a recording in the oldest part of Oslo Prison, still a department at Oslo Prison. ‘Koret på Botsen’ (The Choir at Old Oslo prison), is conducted by Charlotte Fongen, and Henning Kvitnes is solist in nearly all of the 12 songs, among them Stille natt (Silent Night), Deilig er jorden (How wonderful is our Earth), Det hev ei rosa sprung (A rose has blossomed), Det lyser i stille grender (There is light in the small hamlets) and Mary’s Boychild.
The band includes:
Larry Campbell: Electric guitar, pedal steel, acoustic guitar, mandolin, violin and banjo
‘Bebe’” Risenfors: Harmonium, piano, accordian, saxophone, clarinet and washboard
Brady Blade: Drums and percussion
Jørun Bøgeberg: Base.
