Musical Stories with a Background of Migration

Hugo Rannou is from Amiens, France, where he began his musical education at the Conservatoire d'Amiens. After further studies at the Conservatoire in Rueil-Malmaison outside Paris, he moved to Germany to study at the music academies in Freiburg, Stuttgart, and Bern with Professors Adriana Contino, Conradin Brotbek, and David Eggert. Hugo is a versatile cellist who performs chamber music, early music, jazz, and contemporary repertoire. From 2020 to 2024, he was principal cellist with the Badische Philharmonie in Pforzheim and is currently a cello teacher at the Stuttgart University of Music.

Inger Torill Narvesen is from Stavanger, Norway, and continued her studies at the University of Music in Stuttgart after completing her education at the University of Stavanger. Her principal teachers were Bettina Smith, Turid Karlsen, and Sylvia Konza. She has also participated in masterclasses with renowned vocal coaches such as David Jones, Margreet Honig, Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz, Malcolm Walker, and Neil Semer. Inger Torill won 1st prize at Elblandfestspiele 2012 and was a scholarship recipient at the Bayreuth Festival in 2016. She has performed various opera roles on both German and Norwegian stages, and has appeared as a soloist at festivals including Classic Open Air in Berlin, Stavanger Chamber Music Festival, and Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea. She is based in Stuttgart, Germany, where she works as a freelance singer and teaches voice at the Renningen Music School.

Sandra Lie completed her final degree in solo performance and chamber music at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2005. Her principal teachers during her seven years of study were Professor Einar Henning Smebye and Sigurd Slåttebrekk. Since then, she has been active as both a performer and teacher in the Stavanger region. Sandra is currently employed at Vågen Upper Secondary School, Stavanger School of Music and Performing Arts, and the Young Talents Bjergsted programme – a collaboration between the University of Stavanger and the city’s school of music for gifted youth.