Anna Nilsen is considered internationally a performer always full of energy and persuasive in her musical interpretation. Known for her fine sense of style and taste, Ms. Nilsen has moved audiences worldwide.
Anna's solo debut, at the age of nine, took place with the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra, and was immediately invited the following year as soloist with Kaliningrad Chamber Orchestra. Other major performances include the Novgorod Chamber Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, B_rum Symphony Orchestra, Asker Symphony Orchestra, Romerike Symphony Orchestra, Juenesses Musicales Orchestra, Norwegian Opera Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Galicia, St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra and The State Chamber Orchestra of Belarus, with whom she toured for three consecutive years.
As a recitalist, Anna Nilsen has performed in countries all over the world including Norway, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Spain, China, Israel, the Netherlands, Russia, Brazil, Canada and USA. She has also taken part in various international music festivals such as the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Holland International Music Sessions, Juenesses Musicales, Norwegian Youth Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Institute, Kronberg Academy, Music@Menlo and NAC Young Artist Program in Canada led by Pinchas Zukerman.
A native of Norway, Anna Nilsen started to play violin at the age of four. When she was six years old she began her studies with Professor Isaac Schuldman. From 2004-2006 she was a precollege student at the Norwegian Academy of Music. She obtained a Master of Music at the Manhattan School of music as part of the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program, receiving lessons from Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec.
In addition, Ms. Nilsen has received master classes from Robert Mann, Georgy Pauk, Mark Lubotsky, Rudolf Koelman, Pamela Frank, Pierre Amoyal and Maxim Vengerov, and had the privilege to play privately for the great conductor, Zubin Mehta.
Ms. Nilsen has been a two-time winner of the Sparre Olsen Competition, first prize in the National Violin Competition for Youth in Norway, winner five consecutive years of the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition in New York, received the prestigious Dobloug Award in 2010 and was a prize winner of the Eisenberg-Fried concerto competition in 2011 with the Barber violin concerto. She received the Hugo Kortschak Award from Manhattan School of Music in 2012 for outstanding achievement in chamber music. Anna Nilsen has been chosen as an artists of the Kempinski Arts Support Programme.
Recently, Ms. Nilsen was selected as an International Artist in the festival Music@Menlo, led by musicians of the year David Finckel and Wu Han and performed in the music series of the Harvard Club and the WMP Hall in New York. She performed in Borden Auditorium in New York with The American String Quartet for their 35 year anniversary, toured with the Heifetz Institute in Washington, Baltimore and New York and was a solist with Manhattan School of Music Philharmonic Orchestra playing Barber's violin concerto with conductor Jens Georg Bachmann. She was invited to the Norwegian Youth Chamber Music Festival in Stavanger, Norway, where she performed chamber music with distinguished artists such as Lars Anders Tomter, Liza Fershtman and Henri Demarquette.
Anna Nilsen has been appointed Soloist and Virtuoso of the Mahler Philharmoniker Society in Vienna and Artist-in-Residence of the Mahler Voice and String Festival. With the Mahler Virtuosen she performed in Wien Konzerthaus and had her debut-concert, june 2013, as member of the Gustav Mahler String Quartet in Carnegie Hall, New York.
Ms. Nilsen is, together with Spanish violinist Jesus Reina, co-founder and artistic director of the chamber music festival Mlaga#Clsica, which had its first edition in May 2013 with absolute success. Mlaga#Clsica's second edition will take place May-June of 2014.