The 2026 Oslo International Church Music Festival presents two new world premieres by Tyler Futrell and Bent Sørensen.

Tyler Futrell’s Epilogue: On the Nature of Things receives its world premiere on 18 March 2026. The work was commissioned by the festival and is written for cellist Amalie Stalheim and Oslo Domkor. The piece forms the final chapter of Futrell’s church music trilogy, following Stabat mater (2022) and the Requiem Rest (2024), both previously premiered in Oslo. Drawing on the Bible, Lucretius’ De rerum natura, and modern scientific thought, the work traces a process of creation and dissolution, led by choir and solo cello.

The festival also presents Bent Sørensen’s St. John Passion, commissioned by the festival. The first part was premiered in 2025 and concludes with the Crucifixion; the second part, receiving its world premiere in 2026, continues with the Resurrection narrative centred on Mary Magdalene. Sørensen creates a textual counterpoint between fragments from the Gospel of John and other sources, including apocryphal writings and medieval and Renaissance devotional texts. Scored for five voices and five strings, the work is performed in its entirety by Theatre of Voices, musicians from Ensemble Allegria, and conducted by Paul Hillier.

Details: Tyler Futrell - Epilogues
18 March 2026
Oslo International Church Festival, Oslo Cathedral, Norway
Oslo Domkor
Amalie Stalheim, cello
Conductor: Oddgeir Kjetilstad

Details: Bent Sørensen - St. John Passion
20 March 2026
Oslo International Church Festival, Oslo Cathedral, Norway
Theater of Voices, Ensemble Allegria
Conductor: Paul Hiller

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