Gospel Gathering in Kristiansand 30th of October - 1st of November 2026

Welcome to the first ever Gospel Gathering in Kristiansand, Norway

30 October - 1st of November 2026!

For Conductors and Choir singers

Hosted by Ansgar, Choirbuilders and Gospel Explosion Norway.

Leaders are made, not born. And leadership is a learned craft rather than an innate genetic trait, and the same rules apply for leading a choir.

That is why we invite choir conductors and aspiring ones from Norway and the rest of the world to come for a weekend to learn, grow and practice together with world class directors. Through masterclasses, workshops, food and fellowship, concerts and talks, we will inspire, equip and give solid foundations in how to be a better choir conductor, on all levels.

And what is even greater, we invite all choir singers that want to have a great weekend with these inspiring people!  And the crescendo will be a big, final concert on the Sunday before going bakc to our own choirs and continuing the journey.

NOT TO BE MISSED!

We have gathered some of the best conductors around the world to teach, inspire, lead and equip both choir conductors and choir singers.

We invite maximum 15 choir directors to join a very unique Masterclass.

In addition to this we invite another 40 Choir directors to be a part of our specially designed workshops. This workshop is for both experienced conductors and those who are considering if choir conducting is the next step for 

And of course: if you are a choir singer, you are mostly welcome to be taught by world class choir leaders for the whole weekend.

 

What to expect from the weekend?

Through interaction and REAL and practical learning we will cover key subjects as:

  1. Vocal Techniques – tips and tricks to a choir, and how to implement it
  2. Harmonising – how to create better dynamics in a choir
  3. How to manage a choir rehearsal – and keeping people inspired all the way through
  4. Gospel as a genre and its history – How to communicate this through spirit-soul-body

What will the weekend look like?

We will have some sessions where everyone is together, but most of the sessions will be in smaller groups, where each group consists of choir singers and attendees at conductors workshop (about 20+), 3-4 Masterclass conductors and 2-3 instructors/mentors. It will be live coaching where every Masterclass student will teach the choir one song. (It is expected that every singer/conductor come prepared)

Songs will be given out shortly. It will be a collaboration where the Masterclass students will be coached, inspired and mentored while conducting in real time. During the weekend it will be possible for all Masterclass students to have some time with some of the mentors 1-1.

The weekend will end up with a concert on Sunday with around 12 songs to perform where all the Masterclass students will lead «their» choir.

In addition every group will attend a Sunday morning service in Kristiansand where the songs will be used and the instructors/mentors will lead worship/congregational singing together.

We have a band ready for the concert, and all groups will have an assigned pianist in addition to the instructors.

 

Book your space now!

Location will be Ansgar University College, Kristiansand, Norway.

Come and experience world class instructors taking you to the next level as a choir conductor and a choir singer:

 

Bazil Meade (UK):  Founder of London Community Gospel Choir, producer and sought after choir director internationally

Leif Ingvald Skaug (N): Founder of Gospel Explosion & Choir Builders. 35+ years of directing and leading

Isaac Cates (US): Having been compared to Oscar Peterson, Dianne Warren, Thomas Whitfield and Richard Smallwood, he is an artist possessing astonishing musical knowledge, skills and unparalleled creativity

John Yngvar «Syver» Syvertsen (N): Choir director, piano player and the director of Ansgar Gospel Choir for over 30 years.

Didier Likeng (B): One of the leading figures in European gospel music, with over 3,500 concerts under his belt, as a director, musician and singer. Singing teacher at ESMUC (Barcelona) since 2005

Aril Schøld (N): Founder of Stavanger Gospel Company together with his wife, Aina. He has been a driving force in the gospel music arena in Norway for 3 decades and has already influenced a whole generation of choirs and conductors. 

Anne Haugland Balsnes (N): Choir director, choir researcher and professor of music at University of Agder.

Fred Lewin (F): Founder and Artistic Director of GN/AS Gospel, the largest gospel choir of France, and conducts all over Europe

Bodil Kvernenes Nørsett (N): Singer, certified Complete Vocal Teacher and choir director. 35 + years of directing and musical leading. Assistant professor in music at Ansgar University College.

Malin Abrahamsson (S): Music Director at Solid Gospel (Gothenborg), speech pathologist, founder and director of School of Gospel in Sweden and CVT teacher.

Emma Pears (UK): Emma is the founder and director of SingingNation, and the conductor for Hillsong Europe. Credits include leading choirs at venues such as Wembley Arena, The O2 Arena and London’s West End. An experienced and sought-after songwriter, Emma also writes with multiple GRAMMY® Award winning artists and producers.

 

Admission fees:

Masterclass Conductor – conduct, listen, sing and learn 2.500 NOK (max 15)

Conductors workshop – listen, watch, sing and learn 2.000 NOK (Max 40)

Choir workshop – listen, sing and learn 1.000 NOK (students 500 NOK) (Max 200) 

Arrangements and booking for food for the whole weekend will be sent you as soon as you have registered. We are also securing good deals at hotels in Kristiansand.

Good hotel deal nearby: 

https://app.mews.com/distributor/a2a8bcf6-bff4-49fe-9034-b074009dc8a5?mewsAvailabilityBlockId=4a9caec2-48c0-45d7-bb51-b4d500c9d577&mewsStart=2026-10-30&mewsEnd=2026-11-01

Program:

Friday:

17:30 – Registration - mingling

18:30 – Start and kickoff – Everyone together

20:00 – Session 1

20:45 – Session 2

21:30 – End

Saturday:

11:00 – Session 3

12:00 – Session 4

13:00 – Session 5

14:00 – Lunch

15:00 – Everyone together

17:00 – Session 6

18:00 - Debriefs and feedback sessions

19:00 - End

Sunday:

11:00 – Gospelchurches in several different locations – singers, conductors and instructors – We go «live» with the Masterclass conductors

14:00 – Dress rehearsal for concert

16:00 – Food and change

17:00 – Concert with everyone

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