30 January 2020
Impressions from the wonderful and moving premiere of our documentary Songs to Survive. Gunnar Kjeldaas‘ „Fangesongar frå Kirkenes“ at the Department of Musicology, University of Münster. With the support of Daniel Lembeck and the Marienschule-choir the evening featured statements from Karin Reismann (representing the townhall of Münster), prorector Prof. Dr. Michael Quante (representing the WWU Münster), Marlies Baar (representing the Marienschule Münster) and Anna-Ma Kjeldaas (granddaughter of the movie’s protagonist Gunnar Kjeldaas).
Michael Quante Marlies Baar Michael Quante and Michael Custodis Karin Reismann Anna-Ma Kjeldaas talking to Karin Reismann Daniel Lembeck with the choir of the Marienschule
28 January 2020
The new The Routledge Handbook to Music Under German Occupation, 1938-1945. Propaganda, Myth and Reality, edit. by David Fanning and Erik Levi, features a chapter from Michael Custodis and Arnulf Mattes: Celebrating the Nordic tone – fighting for national legacy: the Grieg Centenary, 1943

26 January 2020
The paper „Kirche und Leben“, representing the diocese of Muenster, published a detailed article by Claudia Maria Korsmeier about the forthcoming premiere of the documentary Songs to Survive. Gunnar Kjeldaas‘ „Fangesongar frå Kirkenes“.

31 October 2019
The new year book by Agder Academy of Science and Letters features the chapter „Sorg – Tvang – Motstand. Musikk i Leirene i Norge, 1940-45“, where Michael Custodis for the first time offers an overview of music in concentration and prison camps in Nazi-occupied Norway.
3 September 2019
Ina Rupprecht speaking about German troup entertainment in Nazi-occupied Norway at the conference „Militärmusik als kultureller Botschafter“, hosted in Bonn by our cooperation partner Manfred Heidler (Zentrum für Militärmusik der Bundeswehr / Center for Military Music of the German Armed Forces).

12 July 2019
The impressive room at Rio de Janeiro’s conservatory were Michael Custodis was invited to present his lecture about „Musical Resistance: The Importance of Churches as a Political Enclave in two German Dictatorships“

13 June 2019
The wonderful team from Marienschule Münster together with Anna-Ma Kjeldaas, remembering her grandfather’s music.

26-27 March 2019
Impressions from the conference „Persecution – Collaboration – Resistance. Music in the ‚Reichskommissariat Norwegen‘ (1940-45)“.
Mayor Gerhard Jaksch, representing the City of Münster, opened the conference with a short welcoming speech. Jürgen Heidrich, representing the WWU Münster and the Institute of Musicology with a short welcoming speech
Sophie Fetthauer, speaking about the persecution of musicians during the Nazi-era. Ina Rupprecht, presenting her findings about musical troop entertainment for German soldiers in Norway.
Tom Kristiansen discussing with Ina Rupprecht about the presence of
German artists in Nazi-occupied Norway.
Harald Herresthal, presenting his findings about the „Deutsches Theater“ in Oslo.
Albrecht Riethmüller, Friedrich Geiger and Arvid Vollsnes in discussion.
Martin Moll discussing with Ivar Roger Hansen
Manfred Heidler speaking about German military music in Norway
Arnulf Mattes presenting the ambigious case of the composer Anne-Marie Ørbeck
Michael Custodis summarizing Norwegian musicians in Swedish exile.
Sjur H. Bringeland speaking about composer Geirr Tveitt and
the ambivalent evaluation of his case in 1945.
Martin Moll, Friedrich Geiger and Tom Kristiansen discussing
historical consequences in the final panel.
13 March 2019
Arnulf Mattes and Michael Custodis speaking about Music in Concentration Camps in Norway at the historical site of Camp Falstad, north of Trondheim.

____________________________________
11-12 March 2019
Filming for a documentary about Gunnar Kjeldaas’ “Fangesanger fra Kirkenes” in Jar, Lillestrøm and Hønefoss, supported by Anna-Ma Kjeldaas (right) and Stein Sødal (left).

_____________________________________
18-20 February 2019
Michael Custodis and Andreas Bußmann speaking at the interdisciplinary conference „mit vorsichtig ausgewählten Ausländern zusammenkommen“ – Internationale Tagungen und wissenschaftlicher Austausch in der Zeit des Nationalsozialimus in Heidelberg.
_____________________________________
17. November 2018
Music and Resistance in European dictatorships – Workshop at the Institute for Musicology in Münster

16. November 2018
Music and Resistance-meeting at the Institute for Musicology in Münster.

(from left to right: Michael Custodis, Münster – Friedrich Geiger, Hamburg – Katarzyna Naliwajek, Warsaw – Boris Previšić, Luzern – Arnulf Mattes, Bergen)
12.-14. November 2018
Research at the Riksarkiv and the archive of the conservatory in Stockholm.


11. November 2018
Michael Custodis and Arnulf Mattes gave a well-received lecture on the difficult topic of „Music in Norwegian concentration camps“


6. November 2018
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Arnulf Mattes (Grieg Research Center / University of Bergen) at the Institute for Musicology in Münster.

20. September 2018
Meeting of Michael Custodis, Friedrich Geiger, Katarzyna Naliwajek and Arnulf Mattes in Münster to discuss the network „Music and Resistance in European Dictatorships“.

30. August 2018
Kristiansand Agder Vitenskapsakademi


SOON:
– – – PUBLICATION „THE NORDIC INGREDIENT“ IN 2019 – – –
The results of the joint international conference „The Nordic Ingredient“ held by NORDIC MUSIC POLITICS at the Grieg-Research-Center in Bergen in March 2018 will be published soon in early 2019, by Waxmann Verlag Münster (Programm)

JUNE 2018
Nordic Music Politics-Team in Narvik & Tromsø to visit Tom Kristiansen and his Team to conduct research!




GESTAPO-Headquarters in Tromsø „Til minne om Gestapos ofre 1940-1945“
APRIL 2018
Meeting with Arvid Vollsnes discussing Norwegian Music History, April 2018.

More archive work!


First Project-Conference in Bergen
On 20 and 21 March 2018 we hosted a conference at Bergen’s Grieg Research Centre, discussing The Nordic Ingredient. European Nationalisms and Norwegian Music Since 1905 with contributions by Christhard Hoffmann, Rolf Hobson, Ina Rupprecht, Andreas Bußmann, Ingrid Loe Landmark, Arnulf Mattes, Friedrich Geiger, Arvid Vollsnes, Erling Guldbrandsen, Siemke Böhnisch, Nina Nielsen, Michael Custodis and Boris Previšić.

Abstracts of the contributions can be found here.
DECEMBER 2017
Falstad Concentration Camp &
memorial at the former site where executions were conducted


Giving a lecture on „Music and Resistance“ in Graz, December 2017.

OCTOBER 2017
Working in Stavanger’s Statsarkivet in October 2017.


SEPTEMBER 2017
Research in the music section of the museum for military defense in Oslo



Old Wagner-Scores used by Norwegian military bands!
Research in Bergen’s Byarkiv in September 2017 with telling black propaganda against the Quisling Regime.
AUGUST 2017
Meeting with Bjørn Geirr-Harsson in Ringerike.



Doing research on G.W. Müller’s propaganda department in Oslo.
JULY 2017
Drammen: Grave of Gunvor Mjelva, a Norwegian singer and active member of the resistance movement.


MARCH 2016
Discovering Harald Sæverud’s unknow correspondence with his publishers in Oslo!



