Pianists 2025

Lina Braaten

Lina Braaten is a pianist in demand among singers and instrumentalists and works as head of the piano department at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In the spring of 2018, she was a full-time rehearser at the Wermlandopera in Karlstad, and she was employed for several years at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, in the department of the Opera Academy. She has been awarded as both a chamber musician and solo pianist, with the 1^st prize in the Nordic Lied Duo Competition in 2003, and 3^rd prize in Malmö Nordiska Pianotävling 2004.

Lina has also been a soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, held a solo recital at the prestigious Ultima Festival in Oslo, and held solo and romance concerts in Tokyo in connection with the anniversary of Edvard Grieg in 2007. 

César Cañón

César Cañón was recently appointed as full time répétiteur and assistant chorus master with the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet. He is equally committed to instrumental chamber music as he is with the art song and operatic repertoire. Along with his activity as a recital player, he devotes his time to vocal coaching and conducting. He has received prizes both as a soloist and as an accompanist for national music competitions in his home country. His operatic career has taken him to festivals in Canada, Brazil and Italy.

Cañón holds a Bachelor’s in Piano Performance from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan, where he is currently a doctoral student of legendary accompanist and teacher, Martin Katz.

Olesya Tutova

Olesya Tutova is a pianist, professor and Head of Music at the Opera Academy in Oslo. She graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and become a prize-winner of several international music competitions. 

Olesya has participated in Aix-en-provence Opera festival (France), Savonlinna Opera festival (Finland), Festival ‘Veranos de la villa de Madrid’ (Spain), Saaremaa Opera Festival (Estonia), ‘Prahova Classic Nights’ Festival (Romania), Festival of Contemporary Music (Poland), Xanten Opera Festival (Germany), 58th Wiltz Opera Festival (Luxembourg), and collaborated with Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico in Madrid, Warsaw National Opera, Wrocław Opera and Kraków Philharmonic in Poland.