Orkester Nord (previously known as Trondheim Barokk) is one of the leading period instrument orchestras in Scandinavia, specializing in the performance of Baroque and Classical music on historical instruments. The orchestra, founded in Trondheim, Norway, in 2009 by cellist Martin Wåhlberg and plucked instrument player Erik Skanke Høsøien, aims to explore the repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in new ways. Orkester Nord regularly collaborates with some of the most oustanding artists of today’s musical scene with singers such as Ian Bostridge, Karina Gauvin or Ann Hallenberg. The orchestra also develops staged productions with world leading artistic and institutional partners.

Orkester Nord is characterized by its youthful energy and its freshness of approach and has been praised for its musical inventiveness and fascinating discoveries. Critics often underline the players’ captivating, energetic drive and their high quality of performance. Orkester Nord plays a key role in exploring new aspects of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music by finding an increasing number of true hidden gems in the vast musical repertoire of these periods. A major focus for the group has been the Scandinavian music from these periods, notably the vibrant musical culture of the seventeenth-century Swedish court and the traditional musical culture of Norway, but they have also explored the French music of the late eighteenth century. They often embark on projects that place the music from these periods in their larger cultural context, emphasizing the “reunion of the arts”, between music and dance, music and travel, and, most notably, music and literature.

Orkester Nord takes particular pride in its close ties with the culturally mesmerizing city of Trondheim. Known in ancient times as “Nidaros”, Trondheim was the main capital of Catholicism in Northern Europe and is home to the largest cathedral in Europe north of Cologne. The Dome of Nidaros, Nidarosdomen, magnificently restored throughout the nineteenth century, and still a major centre of pilgrimage, is one of Norway’s finest performance venues. Orkester Nord regularly performs in the cathedral and collaborates closely with the cathedral’s musical programme.

Orkester Nord appears regularly at virtually all major Norwegian festivals and venues and is invited to festivals throughout Europe. The ensemble has also toured in Latin America. Orkester Nord has appeared on radio and on television in Norway and France. Orkester Nord has collaborated with some of the foremost musical personalities on today’s scene. In 2018 the ensemble changed name to Orkester Nord.