The NOVO Quartet, (2nd left) Kaya Kato Møller and (right) Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard, violist (left) Daniel Śledziński and cellist (2nd right) Signe Ebstrup Bitsch.
Four classical musicians from Copenhagen, Denmark, whose mission is to win over a new generation of fans to the genre, embark on their maiden visit to Kenya with two concerts and a masterclass with music students next week.
The Novo Quartet comprises violinists, Kaya Kato Moller, 26, and Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard, 24, violist, Daniel Sledzinski, 27, and cellist, Signe Ebstrup Bitsch, 26.
Their trip was conceived in an Instagram message to the group by Brian Mugo, a member of the Kenya Conservatoire of Music orchestra, saying he was keen on bringing this group of young talented musicians to Kenya.
Once he established contact with the musicians, Mugo then roped in Ken Mwiti of the Chamber Music of Kenya and the plans for the tour began in earnest.
The group had already heard about the classical music community in Nairobi from Kendzi Tanaka, the pianist whose performance in Kenya earlier this year, was also organised by the Chamber Music of Kenya.
Tanaka is an alumnus of Royal Danish Academy of Music, where the members of the quartet also studied.
The Novo Quartet was formed in 2018 and apart from Daniel who is Polish, the three Danes have been acquaintances since childhood.
Kaya and Nikolia had the same violin teacher while Signe grew up in the same area as Nikolai and attended the same conservatory of music.
“Music was a compulsory subject in our bachelor’s programme in Copenhagen...we enjoyed it so much and so many opportunities arose for us, so we have just been riding on that wave ever since,” says Kaya in a Zoom interview with BDLife.
They had not even decided on a name for the group during their ever first gig together, so they asked the owner of the venue hosting the show if he had any ideas and he suggested ‘novo’ meaning ‘new’.
“The word is easy to spell and so when we travel to different parts of the world, then it is not problematic for anyone to say the name of the group or to remember the name,” says Kaya.
“We have a lot of weird words in Danish, so we were not going to name ourselves in Danish,” she adds to laughter from the rest of the group
The chamber ensemble has performed across the world, from China to the US, Switzerland to Greenland, but this is their first trip to Africa.
“It is really different everywhere we perform, even within Europe, both outside and inside the concert hall," observes Kaya.
Signe recalls a concert in Greenland, where a lady in the audience would clap anytime, she liked a section of the performance. “She didn’t care about concert hall etiquette, she just enjoyed herself.”
The musicians are really excited about performing some Kenyan pieces in their repertoire for the two concerts at Muthaiga Country Club on September 18 and three days later at Kenton College.
The NOVO Quartet from Copenhagen, Denmark
Photo credit: Pool
On the day of this interview, they had just received the score for the traditional song Wakariru and Kothbiro by the legendary Ayub Ogada and were eagerly awaiting to begin rehearsals. Both pieces are arranged by composer, Michael James.
The Kenyan pieces and the Clarinet Quintet K. 581 by Wolfgang Mozart will feature guest clarinettist, Philip Maina and the concert programme also includes String Quartet No. 2 op. 5 by the popular Danish composer, Carl Nielsen.
“It is a unique experience to play in parts of the world with a different culture and it is an honour to play in Kenya which has such a young population,” says Nikolai.
Kaya adds: “We have always been curious about Africa, but we did not have an entry point into the continent, and it was just a godsend that Brian contacted us. I hope this will not be the last time.”
They are also excited about the opportunity to hold a masters class at the Kenya Conservatoire of Music on September 20.
“We are quite young, and we don’t have much experience in offering music instruction, but I am happy to meet and share my skills with music learners,” says Nikolai
Last weekend, the Novo Quartet launched their own festival Across Chamber Music Series in Copenhagen with two guest ensembles at four themed concerts, with the objective of attracting audiences beyond the usual realms of classical music.
“By reaching out and doing all these projects, we want to tackle the perception that people may have that classical music is an elite art that only exists inside a certain box or appeals only to a certain class of people,” says Daniel.
He adds: “We have played concerts in bars, collaborated with a Danish pop musician, there are so many shades of classical music.”
“There is also a challenge that when you look at the average age of the people in the audience, they could be 60 or older and that is our responsibility as young musicians to make the music appeal to younger audiences so that they can say ‘hey, that looks cool’”
So, what can audiences in Nairobi expect from this chamber ensemble?
“Youthful energy is our trademark,” remarks Signe. “Personality,” adds Kaya. “We are not formal, we are just friends playing for new friends so you can clap if you feel like,” says Nikolai with a laugh.
