Our supporters

Grieg Foundation supports numerous charitable projects worldwide, with an emphasis on projects that involve children and youth, music and culture, health and research and climate action. Since 2002, the Grieg Foundation has presented many gifts to the city's population through the Bergen International Festival.

One of them was in 2022, when the foundation turned 20 years old, its  founder Per Grieg sr. turned 90, and the Festspillene had its 70th anniversary. Grieg Foundation celebrated this by, among other things, giving a gift to everyone in the city in the form of a free outdoor programme at the Festival square during the Festival. In 2023, the Bergen International Festival and the Grieg Foundation entered into a new, three-year collaboration agreement which makes it possible to continue this free arena in the middle of the city center. This makes the Grieg Foundation the Festivals largest project partner.

In a colourful, green costume, with seating and a stage, Torgallmenningen will be dressed up, and will offer daily events, playgrounds for the children, as well as concerts with talented musicians in many different genres. The entire city's favorite square will be filled for eleven days with free events, and the series will be opened by the navy's eminent music band on Thursday 23 May.

The Bergen International Festival would like to thank the Grieg Foundation for their long-term support.

www.griegfoundation.com

Per Gunnar Strømberg Rasmussen/Strømberg Gruppen joined us as Festival Ambassador in 2017. Strømberg Gruppen, like the Festival, considers quality to be one of their core values. Furthermore the company is concerned with taking social responsibility, also through art and culture.

His reason for becoming Festival ambassador, states Rasmussen, is that he believes the Festival is currently experiencing an exciting development. He wishes to contribute to the Festival fulfilling their vision of lifting the programme locally, nationally, and across borders.

Bergen International Festival is grateful for the support from Per Gunnar Strømberg Rasmussen/Strømberg Gruppen.

For many years, Yvonne & Bjarne Rieber/Rika AS have invested significant amounts in the Bergen International Festival, which is and should continue to be an important cultural event and a boost for the cultural scene in Bergen, Norway and abroad.

Their support is crucial to the festival’s ambitious projects that connect tradition and renewal, that challenge and entertain the audience and make culture accessible to a broader public.

Bergen International Festival would like to thank Yvonne & Bjarne Rieber/AS Rika for their contribution.

The foundation Abraham Odfjells Stiftelse contributes to projects that promote culture, art and the general well-being of society.

The Bergen International Festival is a central and important actor on the national and international cultural scene. The foundation wishes to contribute to the further development of Bergen International Festival.

The Bergen International Festival is grateful for the contribution from Abraham Odfjells Stiftelse.

Aud Jebsen is a valued Festival ambassador with her strong commitment to high-quality art. Aud Jebsen has high ambitions on behalf of the arts, particularly aiming to support projects with outstanding and professional performers of world-class caliber.

As an ambassador for the Bergen International Festival 2024, Aud Jebsen specifically contributes to the performance Acosta Danzain Grieghallen and the concert Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Isata Kanneh-Masonin Håkonshallen.

In doing so, she contributes to elevating the program of this year's festival with creative and performing artists who have gained international recognition. The Bergen International Festival aims to attract the world's foremost artists, and an ambassador like Aud Jebsen is crucial for us to continue delivering cultural highlights to our quality-conscious audience.

The Bergen International Festival is grateful for the support from Aud Jebsen. 

Espen Galtung Døsvig/EGD became Festival ambassador in 2017. Like the Festival, EGD is a company with longstanding traditions in Bergen. Since its foundation in 1907, the company has ensured its growth by adjusting its strategy in accordance with the changes in the markets and society in general.

As Festival ambassador Espen Galtung Døsvig wants to contribute to carrying the Festival into the future. He is also engaged in developing Bergen as a city of art and culture – through contemporary art of the highest quality, among other things – and the Festival’s position in this project.

The Festival is grateful for the support from Espen Galtung Døsvig/EGD.

Louise & Øystein Storebø have been festival consuls since 2020. Their interest in culture, in combination with a great commitment to Bergen city, resulted in a desire to contribute to the city's and the nation's annual cultural highlight and celebration.

They are delighted to join the team of various supporters, as well as the opportunity to experience the festival up close.

The Bergen International Festival thanks Louise & Øystein Storebø for their contribution.

The DNB Savings Bank Foundation is an independent foundation that has as one of its main goals to increase the interest and understanding of art and culture, especially among children and young people. They do this by supporting projects that ensure good dissemination and invite participation. Dextra Musica is a subsidiary of Sparebankstiftelsen DNB, which since 2006 has bought valuable string instruments with the purpose of loaning them to Norwegian musicians.

With support from The DNB Savings Bank Foundation, the festival offers performances from young world-class musicians and outstanding international artists in the Troldsalen and composer homes of Grieg and Sæverud at Troldhaugen and Siljustøl, and in Håkonshallen.

In addition, the DNB Savings Bank Foundation supports Bergen International Festival's new talent development programme for young composers, Festival Academy of Bergen (FAB), through funding and collaboration.

The Bergen International Festival thanks The DNB Savings Bank Foundation for the support.

www.sparebankstiftelsen.no

H. Westfal-Larsen og Hustru Anna Westfal-Larsens Almennyttige Fond has the purpose of providing support for the promotion of matters that are in the best interest of Bergen's general well-being and cultural life.

The fund supports the opening performance The Great Yes, The Great No, Elements of Freestyle and the closing concert of Bergen International Fesival 2025. 

The Bergen International Festival thanks H. Westfal-Larsen og Hustru Anna Westfal-Larsens Almennyttige Fond for the contributions that bring new perspectives and stories to Bergen.

Talent Norge is a non-profit, joint-stock company founded in 2015 to provide outstanding artistic talents with opportunities to realise their full potential. They support environments that recruit top-level talent in music, dance, performing arts, literature and visual arts, and collaborate with institutions, organisations and cultural entities throughout the country.

Through funds and collaboration, Talent Norge supports the festival's new talent development programme, New voices, for young composers.

The Bergen International Festival wishes to thank Talent Norge for their support.

www.talentnorge.no

The GC Rieber Foundations provide support for non-profit social and cultural purposes, mainly in Bergen. Contributions are also made to medical and other research. Among many good cultural initiatives, the Foundations have given priority to supporting local young talent, especially in music. This is to ensure the further development of a broad cultural life in the city for the future.

With support from the GC Rieber Foundations, the Festival can offer several concerts in nursing homes, where children from primary and secondary school are also invited to build bridges across generations.

The Foundations also support OperaUp!, spontaneous mini-concerts for travellers on Fløibanen.

The Bergen International Festival thanks GC Rieber Foundations for their support.

www.gcrieber.com

The Kavli Trust has for many years supported the Bergen International Festival. In particular, the Trust has wanted to support measures to make the festival available to people who, for various reasons, do not themselves have the opportunity to attend the regular festival program.

Through a collaboration with the Red Cross, Robin Hood House and other organisations, the festival is also able to provide offers for free tickets, with the support of the Kavli Trust.

We thank the Kavli Trust for their contributions and dedication to making the Bergen International Festival experience available to more people.

www.kavlifondet.no

The Fritt Ord Foundation is a non-profit private foundation whose paramount objective, is to protect and promote freedom of expression and the environment for freedom of expression in Norway, particularly by encouraging lively debate and the dauntless use of the free word.

With support from the Fritt Ord Foundation, Ordskifte is continued, a debate program that will help to mirror and highlight important tendencies and issues in the present time, based on the festival's widely branched program.

The Bergen International Festival thanks the Fritt Ord Foundation for the support.

www.frittord.no

Inner solid motivation, the ability to put in maximum effort, and a willingness to learn new things – these are the characteristics of Equinor's Heroes of tomorrow.

The world is constantly changing. That is why we need children and youth who dare to think differently and want to make a difference – either in the classroom, on the sports field, or in a concert hall. These are the talents we call Heroes of tomorrow!

Equinor is working with the best environments for talent development. In that way, together, we can lift boys and girls to be future role models for all of us. They will inspire us to understand that the impossible can become possible.

www.equinor.com

For the bank DNB, it is important to collaborate with Norway’s cultural community, sports and selected organisations. Bergen International Festival keeps the classical culture tradition alive while also having the courage to challenge conventions. As Norway’s biggest financial group, DNB wishes to play an active part in society, both at the local and national level.

www.dnb.no

KPMG is best known as accountants, business consultants and lawyers, but we are so much more.

At KPMG, we dare to ask questions, challenge ourselves and our customers, show curiosity and speak plainly and in a straight-forward manner. Only by doing this can we fully understand our customers' challenges and opportunities. This enables us to give better advice. Advice that looks to the future.

www.kpmg.com

In DNV, we value safety, quality and integrity. More than 15 000 employees in 100 countries are committed to our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment. Often, our role also requires us to balance business needs with the needs of society – we call it the 'balancing act'.

Our partnership with the Bergen International Festival, one of Norway’s finest international cultural institutions, is part of DNV’s commitment to society. We believe that culture and society go hand in hand.

DNV is proud to be a sponsor of the Bergen International Festival.

Driven by our purpose, to safeguard life, property, and the environment, we empower our customers and their stakeholders with facts and reliable insights so that critical decisions can be made with confidence.

DNV.com - When trust matters - DNV

The history of DNV goes back to 1864

Bergens Tidende's overall mission is to keep people in Bergen and in Western Norway up to date on the important things happening in social life, culture, sport and business. Our journalism should inspire readers to stay informed, and BT should be a clear voice in the public debate, both locally and nationally.

We support the Bergen International Festival because the cultural scene in Bergen is of great importance to the people who live here. Culture is not just entertainment,
but important for understanding the society we live in and a potential trailblazer in debates. We want to contribute to that.

www.bt.no

Galleriet is proud to sponsor the Bergen International Festival.
Galleriet is one of Norway's best known shopping centres, and is located at Torgalmenningen in the centre of Bergen. At Galleriet, you will find the newest, most updated store concepts, with everything from the biggest brands to unique products you will not find elsewhere. Galleriet has 70 different stores and several restaurants and cafés.

www.galleriet.com