Lars Anders Tomter is one of today’s most outstanding violists. The Giant of the Nordic Viola
(The Strad) was born at Hamar, Norway. He began to play the violin at the age of eight and also
took up the viola. Both instruments he studied with Leif Jørgensen at the Oslo Music
Conservatory and the Norwegian State Academy. He then continued his studies with Max Rostal
and with Sándor Vegh. He was awarded a special prize for his interpretation of Bartók’s Viola
Concerto at the International Viola Competition in Budapest and then went on to win the Maurice
Vieux International Competition in Lille.
A number of concertos have been written especially for Lars Anders Tomter, among them the
viola concerto by Ragnar Söderlind and «Illuminatio» by the renowned Estonian Composer
Erkki-Sven Tüür, a joint European commission of the the Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester,
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Radio Philharmonic Hannover and the
Orchestre National de Lille with support of Norsk Kulturråd. Further, «Under City Skin» for viola
and strings by Rolf Wallin, and a double concerto for violin and viola by Anders Eliasson which
was premiered at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki. In 2014 will Lars Anders Tomter gave his debut at the
Beethoven Festival Bonn, playing Hindemith’s Chamber Music No. 5 with the Beethoven
Orchestra Bonn, conducted by Stefan Blunier.
Lars Anders Tomter’s international solo career started in 1987/88 when he toured extensively in
the United States and Germany with the prestigious Norwegian Chamber Orchestra under its
director Iona Brown. Since then his appearances as a viola soloist has been greeted with the
highest public and critical acclaim throughout Europe and the United States, such as Vienna
Musikverein, New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin and the
Kölner Philharmonie.
Lars Anders Tomter is a regular guest at important festivals such as BBC Proms, Lockenhaus,
Kissingen Summer, Mondseetage, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, Styriarte, Verbier as well
as at a number of festivals in Scandinavia. He was the co-founder and co-artistic director of the
Risør Chamber Music Festival. Together with pianist Kathryn Stott he is artistic of the festival
Fjord Classics which had its first edition in 2017. His large repertoire includes all major
contemporary works, and he has recorded for Simax, Naxos, Virgin Classics, NMC, Sony and
Chandos.
Lars Anders Tomter is also a Professor at the State Academy in Oslo, supervising a number of
Norway’s most talented string players. He plays a Gasparo da Salo viola dated from 1590.
