Creative
Synergies
2025

February 24-28

From 24 to 28 February, CreaTeME and the Department of Popular Music at the University of Agder will host the Creative Synergies week in Kristiansand, Norway. Over 150 students from different institutions will be invited to collaborate, create, produce, and perform music together. In parallel, over 50 teachers, faculty staff and invited artists will have roundtables that discuss a diverse range of challenges facing popular music education.

We want to capitalise on the synergy of having a wide range of different institutions, students, staff, artists and forms of activity taking place at the same time. The overall aim is to draw upon this synergy to both highlight challenges and point to solutions and call for action within higher music education.

Student?

Students can choose between three tracks: Cowriting, Open Composition and Performance.

Staff/teacher?

Faculty staff, teachers and artists are invited to take part in a series of roundtables during the summit.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?*

Below is the schedule for the entire Creative Synergies 2025. Separate plans for student tracks and for staff and teachers are available on their respective pages.

Hovedsalen BARE

Opening of 'Creative Syngergies 2025'

FEBRUARY 24 // 12:00-12:30
Creative Synergies

Hovedsalen BARE

Finding the 'Better' in Music Production and Songwriting

FEBRUARY 24 // 12:30-14:00
Workshop with Joel Hamilton

BARE

Information Student Tracks

FEBRUARY 24 // 14:00-15:00
Creative Synergies

BRAAK Studio

Re-amping the National Broadcasting Orchestra (KORK) for Nils Petter Molvær's Certainty of Tides (Dolby Atmos Mix)

FEBRUARY 24 // 16:00-16:45
Extending the Orchestra I with Jan Bang

BRAAK Studio

Pushing Traditions: Insights from Composing COEXISTENCE (Electronics and Orchestra) & the Recording Process with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Dalia Stasevska

FEBRUARY 24 // 17:00-17:45
Extending the Orchestra II with SĂ˜S Gunver Ryberg

BRAAK Studio

RE-CREATION (Dolby Atmos Mix)

FEBRUARY 24 // 17:00-17:45
Extending the Orchestra III with Mariam Kharatyan, Alessandra Bossa & Roald RĂ¥sberg

Blackbox BARE

Get Together Jam

FEBRUARY 24 // 20:00-22:00
Jam Session by students

Hovedsalen BARE

Inspiration Session with Lars Rosness

FEBRUARY 25 // 09:00-10:30
Workshop with Lars Rosness

Galleriet BARE

Roundtable I: Songwriting and Production

FEBRUARY 25 // 09:00-12:00
Roundtable

Blackbox BARE

Individual and collaborative strategies for playing with and through music technology in a live setting

FEBRUARY 25 // 10:30-12:30
Workshop with TBA

Hovedsalen BARE

Workshop Open Composition

FEBRUARY 25 // 13:00-16:00
Workshop with Bugge Wesseltoft and André Bratten

Galleriet BARE

Roundtable II: Artistic Research

FEBRUARY 25 // 13:00-16:00
Roundtable

Blackbox BARE

Listening Session I

FEBRUARY 25 // 17:00-20:00 Cowriting

Hovedsalen BARE

Roundtable III: What’s in it for me? Mapping assessment practice for performance based subjects at university level

FEBRUARY 25 // 17:00-20:00
Roundtable

Sal 2 @ UiA

Q&A with Bel Canto

FEBRUARY 26 // 10:00-12:00
Q&A with Bel Canto

Galleriet BARE

Roundtable IV: Electronic Music History

FEBRUARY 26 // 09:00-12:00
Roundtable

Galleriet BARE

Roundtable V: One-to-One Tutition and Artistic Supervision in Higher Music Education

FEBRUARY 26 // 13:00-16:00
Roundtable(UiA, Department of Popular Music).

Hovedsalen BARE

Student invites: Q&A with Vetle Junker - Perspectives on entrepreneurship

FEBRUARY 26 // 17:00-18:30
Q&A with Vetle Junker

Hovedsalen BARE

Artistic Research "Hangout"

FEBRUARY 26 // 18:30-20:00

Galleriet BARE

Listening Session II

Co-Writing

Studio 3rd Floor BARE

Roundtable VI: Entrepreneurship in Higher Music Education

FEBRUARY 27 // 09:00-12:00
Roundtable

Blackbox BARE

Showcase: Open Composition

FEBRUARY 27 // 13:00-15:00

Hovedsalen BARE

Showcase: Performance

FEBRUARY 27 // 13:00-16:00

Studio 3rd Floor BARE

Student Roundtable I: The responsibilities of the education, the responsibilities of the student

FEBRUARY 27 // 17:00-20:00
Student-led Roundtable

Meeting Room 1 BARE

Student Roundtable II: Assessment in Music Education

FEBRUARY 27 // 17:00-20:00
Student-led Roundtable

Meeting Room 2 BARE

Student Roundtable III: Creating Inclusive and Inspiring Student Environments

FEBRUARY 27 // 17:00-20:00
Student-led Roundtable

Blackbox BARE

Mentoring Session on Music Production

FEBRUARY 28 // 09:00-12:00
Workshop with Joel Hamilton

Galleriet BARE

Roundtable VII: AI in Higher Music Education - Opportunities and Challenges

FEBRUARY 28 // 09:00-12:00
Roundtable

*Please be advised that modifications to the current schedule may occur.

WHAT IS CREATEME?

CreaTeME (Centre for Excellence in Creative Use of Technologies) is located at the Department of Popular Music at the University of Agder. Creative Synergies is organized by CreaTeME. The week-long event will take place at the student house BARE in the city center of Kristiansand.

INVITED ARTISTS

As part of Creative Syngergies 2025, several special guests have been invited to contribute to the program. A brief description of the invited guests can be found below.

Joel
Hamilton

Joel Hamilton is a multi-platinum-selling, multi-Grammy-nominated record producer, mixer, recording engineer, and songwriter whose credits include Paul McCartney, Rick Rubin, Highly Suspect, The Black Keys, Pretty Lights, Norah Jones, Danny Elfman, Sparklehorse, and more. Joel lives in New York City and is a partner at Studio G, Brooklyn.

Bel
Canto

Bel Canto is one of the true pioneers of electronic music. The Tromsø duo, featuring vocalist Anneli Drecker and multi-instrumentalist Nils Johansen, was formed in 1985 and quickly became known for their distinctive electronica and synth-based landscapes, inspired by folk music from all corners of the globe. Their latest album, 'Radiant Green,' was released in 2024.

Lars
Rosness

Lars Rosness is one of Norway's top producers. Rosness enjoyed early career success producing hits for Alan Walker, co-writing and co-producing songs such as "Darkside," "Lily," and "The Spectre." Later, he dominated the Norwegian pop scene by working with Chris Holsten, Ruben, Emelie Hollow, and Jesper Jenset, resulting in a Song of the Year win and a Producer of the Year nomination at the Norwegian Spellemann Awards in 2022.

Bugge
Wesseltoft

Bugge Wesseltoft is a Norwegian pianist, keyboardist, composer, and producer, widely known for breaking through genre boundaries and taking jazz in a new, contemporary direction. His music is characterized by innovation, experimentation, and a deep affinity for combining acoustic and electronic sounds. Wesseltoft has received several Spellemann awards and runs the record label Jazzland Recordings.

Vetle
Junker

Vetle Junker is an award winning artist, producer, musician and sound engineer currently living in Bergen, Norway. Vetle has worked as co-writer, producer or musician with Sondre Lerche, Iris, Amalie Holt Kleive, Metteson, Witch Club Satan and AURORA, among others. Together with Andreas Høvset he forms the indie duo Verdensrommet.

Brita
Urstad Toft

Brita Urstad Toft, aka Brita°UT, is an artist, producer, and DJ with a background in Berlin’s vibrant club scene. Now based in Kristiansand, she co-founded Klubb Kosmos, the city's leading house and techno concept, where she’s a resident DJ. Brita also teaches electronic music and music production at the University of Agder, Ansgar Høyskole, and AKKS Kristiansand.

Tone
Ă…se

Tone Ă…se is an improvisational musician who specializes in vocal performance and live electronics, in addition to her expertise in a cappella ensemble improvisation. She is a professor at the Department of Music at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology). Ă…se has specifically researched the possibilities for vocal improvisation in conjunction with live electronics.

FROM CREATEME

Jan
Bang

Jan Bang is a professor of electronic music at the University of Agder, Norway. Bang is an award winning musician and record producer known for numerous albums and collaborations world wide. Together with Erik Honoré, he co-founded the Punkt festival in 2005. Bang coined the term "Live Sampling" in 1996 and is a musical innovator and bridge-builder who always seeks to move music and people forward.

SĂ˜S Gunver
Ryberg

SĂ˜S Gunver Ryberg is a composer, sound artist and live performer. Alongside her solo releases, which form a cohesive thread through her work, she has engaged in a wide range of collaborations across theater and performance art, sound installation, computer games, and film. Ryberg performs in varied settings, from art galleries and museums to venues, concert halls, underground clubs, and cutting-edge music festivals.

André
Bratten

André Bratten is both a producer and songwriter and one of Norway's most important names in experimental electronica. Since his debut in 2013, he has established himself as a leading figure in what is known as scandisco. The Norwegian Spellemann Award winner has filled dance floors worldwide with his eccentric and sometimes dark, intelligent electronic soundscapes.

Mariam
Kharatyan

Mariam Kharatyan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Music and Music Education at the University of Agder. She is a prize-winning classical pianist who performs internationally as both a soloist and a chamber musician.

Alessandra
Bossa

Alessandra Bossa is an electronic musician/pianist and composer from Italy, performing all over Europe. Bossa is a lecturer at the Department of Popular Music, University of Agder, where she is also conducting her PhD project.

Eirik
Askerøi

Eirik Askerøi is professor of music at the University of Inland Norway (INN). His research interests include production aesthetics, popular music, cultural theory, and discursive analysis. He is also a performing and recording musician.

Torun
Eriksen

Torun Eriksen is a vocalist, composer, songwriter, and professor at the Department of Popular Music, University of Agder. Eriksen leads the CreaTeME work package "New Ways of Making and Performing Music".

Andreas
W. Røshol

Andreas Waaler Røshol is a lecturer at the Department of Popular Music, Univerity of Agder, teaching and researching on the aesthetics of electronic music. Røshol leads the work on the work package 'Responsive pedagogies' in CreaTeMe.

Daniel NordgĂ¥rd

Daniel
NordgĂ¥rd

Daniel NordgĂ¥rd is a professor in music business and management at the Department of Popular Music, University of Agder. NordgĂ¥rd is the Centre Leader for CreaTeME.

Hilde
Norbakken

Hilde Norbakken is Associate Professor at the Department of Popular Music, University of Agder, teaching vocal and songwriting. She is is an active performer and musician and the co-leader of CreaTeME.

Ivar
Grydeland

Ivar Grydeland plays electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, pedal steel guitar, and various electronics. He is an associate professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music and leads the CreaTeME work package "New Ways of Using Technology".

Eirik
Sørbø

Eirik Sørbø is an Associate Professor at the Department of Popular Music, University of Agder, working with music education, and how it can adapt to technological developments. He is currently Project Developer in CreaTeME

Peter
Baden

Peter Baden is a composer, musician, and music producer. He has toured the world with well-known artists and produced numerous albums. Baden has created music for Netflix, television, dance, theater, podcasts, commissioned work, and other productions.

Askil
Holm

Askil Holm is an Associate Professor at the Department of Popular Music, University of Agder. He a professional musician, songwriter, soloartist and producer.

Ingvild
Koksvik

Ingvild Koksvik is a singer and song-maker. Her career includes several albums with original music, commissioned works for festivals, and substantial touring as a live artist. In her PhD-project she deals with how notions of space influence aesthetic, performative, and compositional aspects of popular music record production.

Bodil
Kvernenes Nørsett

Bodil Kvernenes Nørsett is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Agder, researching the assessment practices of vocal performance examinations. She is also vocal teacher and lecturer at Ansgar University College.

Roald
RĂ¥sberg

Roald RĂ¥sberg is a sound engineer and leading expert in immersive audio recording technology. He will participate in the listening session RE-CREATION.

Keep in touch with CreaTeME