Blog

Packed at Caffe Vivali

Sat, 2010-10-09 13:57



Yesterday evening was a super Café de Concert concert at Caffe Vivaldi, New York! I performed with the magnificant Curtis Stewart and Amanda Gookin. Kicked the party off with Bartok´s 6 Rumanian dances, the continued with Schumann´s Fantasiestück before wrapping up with the piano trio by Debussy which he wrote when he was 18, just a teenager! The crowd at Vivaldi was great as usual, and after Debussy - the audience turned in to a rock concert-audience! Rock on!!

See the rest of the photos on www.cafedeconcert.no/blog

Successfull stand up debut at the Comic Strip

Fri, 2010-10-08 15:03


I started out my gig at the legendary COMIC STRIP last night flexing my chest muscles...I guess I caught the crowd off guard - cause they went bananas!! :) Got it all on tape, will post it in a bit! I actually think I nailed it!! :) The atmosphere was hysteric !! :)

"The Comic Strip comedy club" launched the careers of Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock!

Thank you Jeffrey Gurian for final polish on my act - and for getting me the spot at the legendary Comic Strip. I am SO looking forward to work more with you!!



Richard Tienken and Jeffrey Gurian - thank you for believeing in me!!



My mother and father flew in that same day with some friends from Norway, I am so happy they got to see this!



After the gig Jeffrey took me out in the Meatpack district to see some of his wonderful friends! I´m performing a Café de Concert concert tonight at Caffe Vivaldi, Sunday is Carnegie-time. I just love NYC!!









Host for Impressions of Norway in New York 2010

Sun, 2010-10-03 21:27

Photo: Rick Shupper

This was probably the wildest and coolest presentation of Norwegian Culture in New York ever, arranged by Innovation Norway in downtown New York. Moods of Norway, Madcon, The Flying Culinary Circus and me. Boy, were we on fire!!


Photo: Rick Shupper

I started off with a presentation of the fabulous Moods of Norway-three, then I had the previledge of makeing room for the crazy and genious Flying Culinary Circus. Then I was honored to show my ass on a big screen in addition to presenting my Carnegie Hall debut with some video material. In the end I let Madcon do the rest - which ended up with a superfantastic dance-party for Moods, the chefs and me on stage with the groovin´ Madcon! Man, what a night!


Photo: Rick Shupper


Photo: Rick Shupper


Photo: Berit Hessen


Photo: Berit Hessen


Photo: Berit Hessen


Photo: Berit Hessen

My first solo album out now :)

Mon, 2010-09-27 18:28


It´s the Carnegie Hall debut-program, recorded live from Gamle Logen in Oslo on March 24th 2010. Price: 150 NOK Email, facebook, text or call me to get a CD:) aksel.kolstad@cafedeconcert.no, +47 91 83 66 92

I got balls, I´ll give my self that.

Tue, 2010-09-14 21:21


Read all about it on the Café de Concert-blog, and you HAVE to watch the video...brace your self!!
http://cafedeconcert.blogspot.com/2010/09/concert-on-bridge-in-fredrikstad.html

The Aksel Kolstad Show on the road. First stop, Tønsberg!

Fri, 2010-09-10 22:41


Was great to perform in the beautiful Villa Møllebakken, especially with Frank Beck sitting on the first row.
Beck is one of Norway´s most respected motivators, in my eyes the very best, and he sure got me motivated all right!!
I have been so previleged to have Frank Beck follow me the past ten years, giving me wake up-calls, pointing in right directions and makeing me understand what I am good at and what I can do even better! I take my hat off for you, Frank! This concert was dedicated to you!



After the first half, since Frank was in the audience - I just had to show off another cool Moods of Norway suit!



After the concert, so many lovely people went backstage and touched my hair! (Cause I told them my hairdresser had put on some silky oil which made it super smooth!! I dig it when the fans pet me on my head!! )



And this (dette tok bare kaka, ass!!) was just the coolest gift I have EVER gotten from someone in the audience! Check it out, guys! It´s a custom made "piano/melodica/moods of norway tracktor-painting"!! How cool is THAT?!?! WORD!

Press release of "The Aksel Kolstad Show in Carnegie Hall"

Thu, 2010-09-09 21:12



The day started off meeting up with, and getting to know a wonderful team which is doing a documentary on me.
A camera following you around every corner is...actually something I TOTALLY dig! So it´s a very cool experience, this documentary-project! Lots of memories came back to me when I walked into the small concert hall in the middle of the heart in Oslo - Oslo Musikklæreforeningens lokaler, Josefinesgate. This is where i held my concerts when I was a child. Class-concerts, christmas-concerts, summer-concerts, and on all of them - in addition to playing standard repertoire, I was allways given the opportunity to play some of my own music. Thank you Eva Sandvik Stugu, for beeing such a great inspiration to me in my youth!

This time I was here for my press release, presented by Musikk-Huset (my publisher), which has given me 100.000 NOK to support my Carnegie Hall concert as presenting sponsors. A full house of wonderful people came to get a small preview of the Carnegie Hall program. And boy, was that great fun:)





Pit stop in Tallinn

Mon, 2010-08-23 20:21


I arrived to my apartment in Tallinn at the magnificant Nano Café yesterday. Yes...I actually rent an apartment on top of the coolest café in the world! Had several meetings yesterday and today regarding my big concert in the Estonian Concert Hall on October 16th. And today I went to the Opera to rehears with Nadja and Anastassia. They are coming to my festival in Fredrikstad in september and then they are also performing on my concert here in Tallinn in October. Bach + Kolstad + pointy shoes = something you GOT to see;)





Honored with the Elkjøp-award

Thu, 2010-08-19 18:04


Elkjøp is a huge chain in Norway (exists in Greece also, I believe) for electronic devices of all sorts with very high quality. They just opened a brand new mega-store in my hometown, Fredrikstad. I had the previlige of receveing their "opening-scholarship" worth 50.000 NOK (approx 8300 UDS) today and gave a short recital in the store! THAT was fun! I used all of the money to buy a grand piano (the one in the photo) to one of my favourite cafées in Fredrikstad - Verdensspeilet Café. As of today it is the official Café de Concert festival-café, which actually is hosting the 5th annual festival this September 16th, check out www.cafedeconcert.no/festival
Verdensspeilet Café, congratulations with your new grand piano, and well done with the renotavion of the oldest cinema in Fredrikstad into a superfunky and new, open space in your café! Elkjøp, thank you so very, very much! Special thank´s to Christian Brekke and Anders Foss from Elkjøp! I am honored to recieve your award! And MAN did my new Jordan Nike´s suit your floor!!





Choosing new concert shoes

Thu, 2010-08-19 17:16


One stop in the Nikey store on 5th avenue made me go completely bananas!!
But in the end I ended up with the new Air Jordan´s - feels out of this world!!









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