Study in Oslo

Fotograf: Nancy Bundt / Innovasjon Norge Fotograf: Pål Bugge / Innovasjon Norge Fotograf: Anders Gjengedal / Innovasjon Norge Casper Tybjerg / Innovasjon Norge Fotograf: Nancy Bundt / Innovasjon Norge Fotograf: Anders Nielsen / Innovasjon Norge Fotograf: Jens Henrik Nybo / Innovasjon Norge

Norwegians enjoy a high standard of living and have a highly developed welfare system which foreign students will be able to benefit from if the need should arise.

Oslo has more to offer than city life. It is beautifully situated on the Oslo fjord. We are particularly proud of our surroundings of unpolluted countryside accessible to the public for cross country skiing in the winter and for walking, jogging and cycling in the summer, not to mention refreshing dips in the lakes. There are also excellent facilities for cross country and downhill skiing.

When the weather is hot, and that happens quite often in the summer, the citizens of Oslo abandon the town. To find them on such days, you will have to make your way to the numerous beaches on either side of the Oslo fjord or to the lakes in the woods surrounding Oslo. Sunbathing, swimming and sailing are our favourite pursuits in the summer.

However, we strongly recommend that you also try to see more of Norway during your stay. With Oslo as a base you have an excellent opportunity to explore our beautiful country - by train, car or other means of transport.

But remember, Norway is not only a beautiful country, it is also a long one. The distance from Oslo to the Northcape is almost the same as from Oslo to Rome.

Music Life in Oslo

The city of Oslo offers a number of oppotunities for listening to music and participating in musical activities. There are concerts and opera performances daily. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra has usually two concerts weekly except in July and in the first part of August. They are located in the Oslo Concert Hall in the centre of the city, and the programmes for the seasons are available there. Artistic director and chief conductor is Jukka-Pekka Saraste .

The Norwegian Opera has daily performances of operas and ballets from the beginning of September and through May. This is also located in the centre of town. Artistic leader is Bjørn E. Simensen.

In addition to the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Norwegian Opera, the Radio Orchestra and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra have their own concert series. Artistic director of the NRK Radio Orchestra is Rolf Gupta, and the leaders for the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra are Terje Tønnensen. and Leif Ove Andsnes There are a number of concert halls in the city. The Oslo Concert Hall which has its own classical celebrity series in addition to the concerts of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, has two halls in the building.

The University of Oslo which initially was located down town still maintains the old Aula, which happens to have good acoustics for music and this hall is used for concerts. Some ten years ago Gamle Logen which was Edvard Grieg’s concert hall when he resided in Oslo, was restored to its former splendour, and is now a very fine and useful hall.

The Cathedral of Oslo has for many years been a centre of church music. The Cathedral Choir is a body of singers performing a number of challenging old and new choral works during the season. The choir participates in the services and also gives separate concerts. There are two organists and choirmasters working full time at the cathedral, and in 1996 a new choir organ was installed, and in 1998 the Cathedral had a new main organ.

The Norwegian Academy of Music with its two concert halls is in fact the institution with the most extensive concert activity in Oslo, and most performances are open to the public free of charge.

Most churches have their own concert series, and their choirs are open for new members. So are a number of choral ensembles which advertise openings and/or Entrance examinations. There are also amateur orchestras in town which need new members, especially in their string sections.

Climate

Even though the city is situated so far north, its climate is temperate in the autumn and warm in spring and summer. There is usually snow 3 to 5 months of the winter, and skiing conditions are good on the hills around Oslo between December and April. The period from May to July can be hot and very sunny for long periods, and periods of drought can also occur. This is due to Oslo’s northerly position, well protected by the mountains from Atlantic rainfall, and favourable help from the Gulf stream. Statistically speaking, Oslo is Scandinavia’s sunniest capital.

Lowest temperature - winter 1994: -10.4 C. Highest temperature - summer 1994: +28.7 C. Average temperature measured between 1931 and 1990: January -4.7 C, July +17.3 C. For the whole year: + 5.9 C.

The Language

While foreign visitors find that most city-dwellers both understand and speak English, it should be remembered that Norwegian is closely related to German, Dutch and English, and little effort is required to obtain a working knowledge of Norwegian by those who speak any of these languages. In addition, the language belongs to the Scandinavian group and is immediately understood by over 20 million inhabitants of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, and any time invested in learning the language is thus richly rewarded.