Norwegian baritone Halvor F. Melien studied at the State Academy of Music in Oslo.
He has appeared at opera houses and festivals such as Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Festival de Menton (France), Municipal Theatre in Ho Chi Minh City, Bergen National Opera, Kristiansund Opera, Arctic Opera, Opera Østfold and most frequently; the Norwegian National Opera.
His operatic roles include Leporello and Masetto in DON GIOVANNI, Papageno in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, Marcello in LA BOHEME, Moralès in CARMEN, Aeneas in DIDO AND AENEAS, Peter in HÄNSEL UND GRETEL, Giove in II RITORNO D’ULISSE, Steward / Sergeant / Sentry in LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK, Salieri in MOZART AND SALIERI, Weill’s DIE SIEBEN TODSÜNDEN, Priest in Søderlind’s THE DREAM POEM and Priest in Gisle Kverndokk’s much praised UPON THIS HANDFUL OF EARTH.
He has worked with conductors such as Paul Agnew, Oleg Caetani, Aaron Carpene, Alfredo Bernardini, Fabio Biondi, Christophe Rousset, Alessandro De Marchi, Peter Dijkstra, Marcello Di Lisa, Rubén Dubrovsky, Christian Eggen, John Helmer Fiore, Antonino Fogliani, Simon Gaudenz, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Stephen Higgins, Robert Howarth, Tõnu Kaljuste, Sirkka Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, Nicholas Kraemer, Andrew Lawrence-King, Gijs Lenaars, Steven Levine, Gergely Madaras, Andrew Parrott, Vasily Petrenko, Sébastien Rouland, Christophe Rousset, Christoph Schoener, Peter Schreier, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Andreas Spering, Christoph Spering, Henrik Vagn Christensen, Jos van Veldhoven, Alexander Vedernikov, Gottfried von der Goltz, Philipp von Steinaecker, Julian Wachner and Joshua Weilerstein.
Halvor F. Melien is especially sought-after as a concert singer, appearing extensively throughout Europe. He has worked with all Norwegian symphony orchestras and with ensembles such as BBC Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Les Talens Lyriques, Concerto de’ Cavalieri, Concertgebouw Kamerorkest, Musica Saeculorum, Taverner Consort, Academia Montis Regalis, Das Neue Orchester Cologne, and several others. His vast repertoire includes oratorios, masses, cantatas and song cycles. He is also one of Scandinavia’s leading interpreters of 20th and 21st-century music, having participated in a number of world-premiers.
Recent opera engagements include Aeneas in DIDO AND AENEAS, Betto di Signa in GIANNI SCHICCHI as well as Mutter in DIE SIEBEN TODSÜNDEN at the Norwegian National Opera, Pastore in Scarlatti’s ERMINIA in Ghent, Aeneas in DIDO AND AENEAS in Menton with Les Talens Lyriques, Priest in Gisle Kverndokk’s UPON THIS HANDFUL OF EARTH at Oslo International Music Festival and the world premiere of Magnar Åm’s multi-media performance KRISTIANSAND.NÅ.
Recent concerts have included Fauré’s REQUIEM with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bach’s ST JOHN PASSION with Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Brahms’ EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM with Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s MAGNIFICAT and EASTER ORATORIO in Lausanne and Metz with Les Talens Lyriques, Bach’s ST MATTHEW PASSION in Hamburg, Haydn’s MISSA IN TEMPORE BELLI with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Haydn’s HARMONIEMESSE and Bruckner’s TE DEUM with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
November 2023
Mahler – DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN
Oslo
Juho Alakärppä, piano
Mozart – REQUIEM
Oslo, Hamar
Ingrid Hanken, conductor / Oslofjord Chamber Philharmonics
Bach, Bruckner, Reger – CANTATAS
Oslo
Iver Kleive, conductor
SPANISH BAROQUE CHRISTMAS MUSIC
Oslo
Alberto Miguélez Rouco, musical leader / Barokkanerne
Bach – CHRISTMAS ORATORIO
Stavanger
Markus Tähti Dunseth, conductor
Bach – CHRISTMAS ORATORIO
Harstad, Narvik
Bjørn Andor Drage, conductor
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Stavanger
Oddgeir Kjetilstad, conductor
Monteverdi – IL COMBATTIMENTO DI TANCREDI E CLORINDA / Tancredi
Oslo, Kongsberg
Jadran Duncumb, conductor / Barokkanerne
Haydn – DIE SCHÖPFUNG
Bergen
Kjetil Almenning, conductor
Brahms – LIEBESLIEDER-WALZER + Kverndokk – SYNGENDE NATT
Oslo
Juho Alakärppä, piano
Buene – SCHUBERT LOUNGE
Oslo
Christian Eggen, conductor / Oslo Sinfonietta
Bach – ST MATTHEW PASSION
Amsterdam, Lochem, Delft
Gijs Leenars, conductor / Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra
Handel – MESSIAH
Oslo
Tom Wiklund, conductor / Barokkanerne
Skoglund – LAMBERT, LAMBERT!
Oslo
Cikada Ensemble
Kjell Habbestad – MOSTRASUITE
Mosterhamn
Eivind Gullberg Jensen, conductor / Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Bach – ST MATTHEW PASSION
Warsaw
Jan Willem de Vriend, conductor / The Warsaw Philharmonic
November 2023
Barytonen Halvor F. Melien studerte ved Norges Musikkhøgskole i Oslo. Sommeren 2014 medvirket han i Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Han har etablert seg som en meget etterspurt konsertsanger, og han opptrer regelmessig i konsertsaler og på festivaler i Europa og Asia. Han har et usedvanlig bredt repertoar som spenner fra 1600-tallsmusikk via Bach, Händel, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Bruckner, Grieg, Fauré, Mahler, Duruflé og frem til vår tids musikk.
Han har medvirket på en rekke urfremførelser og CD-innspillinger, blant annet John Frandsens REQUIEM, Knut Vaages HØGSONGEN og Ørjan Matres HOFFENTLICH MUSSTEN SIE AN DER GRENZE NICHT LANGE WARTEN.
Han har jobbet med internasjonale dirigenter som Paul Agnew, Fabio Biondi, Marcello Di Lisa, Alessandro De Marchi, Peter Dijkstra, Simon Gaudenz, Robert Howarth, Tõnu Kaljuste, Nicholas Kraemer, Gijs Lenaars, Gergely Madaras, Andrew Parrott, Vasily Petrenko, George Petrou, Christophe Rousset, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Andreas Spering, Jos van Veldhoven, Alexander Vedernikov, Gottfried von der Goltz og Philipp von Steinaecker.
På Den Norske Opera har han sunget roller som Masetto i DON GIOVANNI, Moralès i CARMEN, Giove i II RITORNO D’ULISSE og Sersjant, Gårdskar og Fengselsvakt i Sjostakovitsj’ LADY MACBETH FRA MTSENSK. Av andre operaengasjementer kan nevnes Giove i Monteverdis IL RITORNO DI ULISSE ved Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Papageno i Mozarts TRYLLEFLØYTEN ved Municipal Theatre i Ho Chi Minh City, Pastore i Alessandro Scarlattis ERMINIA i Napoli, Man i Lera Auerbachs THE BLIND med Trondheim Musikkteater, Salieri i Rimskij-Korsakovs MOZART OG SALIERI med Nordnorsk Opera og Symfoniorkester og Marcello i LA BOHÈME med Operaen i Kristiansund.
September 2021