Tinnitus Choir - a mixed Norwegian student choir at the University of Pécs
There is an award-winning unique choir at the Medical School. Its members are Norwegian students.
Where does your name "Tinnitus" come from? How was it born?
We are called Tinnitus because we thought it was a funny name for a Medical School choir. (Tinnitus is an audiology term, it means the hearing of sound when no external sound is present. While often described as a ringing, it may also sound like a clicking, hiss or roaring- the ed.) Our founder got the idea because her sister was in a choir named Tinnitus at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and we loved it, too.
Our choir was founded by a Norwegian medical student, Anne Sandvik, in September 2011, so we celebrated our 5th anniversary last autumn.
How many member do you have?
Currently, we have 19 members, 5 boys and 14 girls. We recruit new members at the beginning of each semester. Now we have 4 sopranos, 2 mezzo sopranos, 7 altos, 3 tenors and 2 basses in addition to the conductor.
How often do you rehearse and how do you choose your songs?
We rehearse for two hours every Tuesday, sometimes at the weekends and we also have extra rehearsals before important concerts. We always have a beer or a glass of wine afterwards. Singing is primarily meant to be a social and enjoyable hobby and going for a drink really helps build our spirit. Usually the conductor picks songs that he considers cool, but everyone is allowed to suggest one and then we vote.
What determines you actual style?
Our current style is always adapted to the occasion. We love singing pop and musical songs, putting on a good show and enjoying ourselves on stage, but we also enjoy singing traditional songs in the case of the more formal performances.
Did you expect to get the Bajnóczky Award at the Advent Concert?
We had absolutely no idea that we would get the Bajnóczky Award, we are completely in awe! We are grateful and proud that the university appreciates our work.
Why did the members choose to come to Hungary and what do they study?
We all study general medicine, and we are all from Norway. In Norway it is very hard to get
in to a medical school, and more and more students in general study outside of Norway.
How do you like Hungary?
We enjoy living in Hungary very much. The city is beautiful and we love all the student events and the festivals. I think it's safe to say that everyone in the choir loves the wine festivals in Szent Istvan Square and forralt bor (mulled wine – the ed.) with kürtőskalács (a special form of pastry the shape of a cylinder - the ed.) at the Christmas market. It's also great to enjoy a classical concert in Kodály Központ or to watch the Pécsi Balett in National Theatre of Pécs.
What do you do in your free time?
As medical students we spend a lot of time in the library, but most of us also enjoy a good party, pub quizzes and just hanging out with friends. If the weather is nice we take a trip to Orfű or to the Misina animal shelter and the Mecsek Mountains is great for hiking/running, plus volleyball and swimming at Pollack is always fun.
This spring the choir will travel to Krakow, Poland to participate in a choir festival there, and we are very excited to represent Pécs. We visited this festival in 2015 and it was a great adventure. It is arranged by Copernichoir, a mixed choir consisting of medicine and dentistry students at the Jagellonian University Medical School and over 500 students from Norway will participate. Copernichoir and Tinnitus are the only ones of their kind and we are very proud of this. This is only the second time the festival is arranged and our choir is very much excited to go back.
Bass:
Andreas Bergheim Graff
Joachim Riiber Denstad, PR
Preben Bygdevoll Strand
Tjerand Aas Skålnes
Tønnes Stray-Pedersen Aspholm
Alto:
Andrea Unhjem Wiik
Astrid Tolløfsrud, costumes
Hanne Mjøs Jovik
Julie Østby-Deglum
Kine Marita Eriksson
Linn-Siren Hausken
Maria Steigen, musical director
Thea Malm Kolmannskog
Åshild Fossum Eriksen, economy
Soprano:
Christine Kvaløy
Ida Marie Heggem, conductor
Kristine Bergheim Graff
Sofia Akhtari
Stine Botilsrud
https://www.facebook.com/tinnituschoir/
Krisztina KOVÁCS
UnivPécs International