Lofoten Piano Festival

The archipelago of Lofoten is located north of the Arctic Circle, off the northwest coast of Norway. It is accessible by ferry, car or plane. . . but not without effort and a sense of adventure!

Every other July, while the midnight sun shines, a 7-day music festival, the Lofoten Piano Festival (lofotenfestival.com/en), is held there. (In alternating years, a chamber music festival is held there, instead.)

At the incredible 2018 piano festival (July 9-15), which I attended, there were several performances each evening in different churches and cultural centers, allowing exploration of various parts of this quiet and enchantingly beautiful spot, comprised of fjords, coasts, bays, huge protruding mountains, fishermen’s boats, cabins and cod-drying racks.

Questions about the Lofoten Festival can be directed toward its General Manager, Knut Kirkesæther (knut@lofotenfestival.com). Seeing his name on the website, I contacted him when I found it difficult to figure out how to get to Lofoten. He told me which airport to fly into and named other options as well. He provided this single senior American woman other travel information too. He is not a travel agent, however.

ITN readers also can contact me (ednarsalvarez.t@gmail.com) regarding options for travel to/from Lofoten and other matters related to the festival.

EDNA R.S. ALVAREZ
Los Angeles, CA