‘Norway’s Got Talent’ Star is Studying Here

Festival Hill Features: Rebecca Isaksen

It’s not every day that you receive a golden buzzer during the semi-finals of Norway’s Got Talent, especially after having already received it in the first round of televised auditions. In fact, in 2019, Rebecca Isaksen was the first in the world to receive a golden buzzer during the semi-finals of a ‘Got Talent’ show.

“A lot of small children told me after I played there (NGT), ‘Oh I started playing violin because of you,’” said Isaksen. “I hope people see how much I enjoy playing the music, that I give something to them. For me, that’s the most important thing.”

Born and raised in Norway to parents who were musicians, Isaksen has never known a life without music. She began her music journey singing in the choir, but when she turned eight, something shifted.

“It wasn’t until I saw this show called Eurovision where I saw this guy from Norway who played violin that I really wanted to start playing,” said Isaksen. “...It was kind of love at first sight with the violin.”

Isasken recently finished her first year of undergraduate studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music, the largest and best music academy in the country. Isaksen had previously attended a talent program at the same namesake when she was 12 years old.

Over the years, Isaksen has had the opportunity to participate in various competitions aside from NGT, and perform at concerts all around Norway. She won the inspirational award in the Midgard Competition, a Norwegian classical instrument competition, and 1st place prize in the Norwegian Music Competition for Youth, among others.

Now, Isaksen has found her way to the United States. Her music teacher, Kolbjørn Holthe, had a colleague suggest that his students apply to Festival Hill in Round Top, and she ended up being selected from the large pool of Festival Hill hopefuls.

“It’s gone beyond what I expected,” said Isaksen. “The level of musicianship is really high here, the teachers are really good and the place is so beautiful.”

Her instrument, which is on loan from Dextra Musica while she works through her undergraduate studies, was made by a New York native, Paul Crowley, in 2015. So, she’s excited to have finally “brought it home” and perform on it at a renowned music festival.

Isaksen even had the opportunity to be concertmaster, or the lead violinist, during the second week of concerts at Festival Hill.

In the future, the young musician looks forward to traveling around the United States, and hopes to continue inspiring children for the rest of her career.