Akademisk Korforening is the official mixed Choir of UiO. The Choir was founded on September 30th, 1930. Gjermund Bjørklund has been our conductor since the spring of 2004. Most people in the Choir are students, former students or employees at the University of Oslo, age ranging from 20 years and up, but we also have members without any connection to the University.
Today we have about 60 active members in the Choir. Our repertoire ranges from large Oratorios with soloists and Orchestra to a cappella, folk music, madrigals and traditional academic songs.

The Choir has a lot of exciting traditions, for example we regularly attend an «Akademisk Kortreff» being held in different locations throughout Norway. The last couple of years we have held a social weekend seminar at Sanner Hotell where we sing and eat good food. Every year we also participate in some of the PhD graduation ceremonies at the University, we participate in the opening ceremony for all the new students at «Universitetsplassen» and every 17th of May (our Constitution Day) we sing at Our Saviour’s Cemetery in Oslo as a part of the official «Constitution Day» program. In December we have Christmas Concerts.

On average every second year we travel abroad, e.g. to Copenhagen, Denmark (2009), Vilnius, Lithuania (2011), Caen, France (2013), Gotland, Sweden (2014), Kärrbackstrand, Sweden (2016), Vilnius, Lithuania (2017), Brussel, Belgia (2018).

The Choir has always had a dynamic profile. It has upheld its high musical ambitions and throughout the years we have held concerts all over Norway and in a number of European countries. We have also participated in TV and radio broadcasts.

Akademisk Korforening is a Choir with a wonderful mix of people who all contribute and all have different qualities that benefit our social environment. That is exactly why being a part of this Choir is so much fun!

Read more at Wikipedia (currently only in Norwegian).

Gjermund Bjørklund was appointed conductor of AKF in the spring of 2004. He is a graduate of the Norwegian Academy of Music, with teachers Stefan Sköld and Grete Pedersen in choral conducting and Simon Streatfield and Per Sigmund Thorp in orchestral conducting. He has over twenty years wide-ranging experience of choral conducting.

Gjermund has been the cantor of Skedsmo Church since 1985 and is often engaged as an accompanist and organ soloist. He has also taught at the Norwegian Academy of Music and Lillestrøm High School.

In addition to Akademisk Korforening he conducts Skedsmo Chamber Choir.