Biography

 

Kei Solvang (2002) was born in Japan, but moved to Norway with her family at the age of five. In 2017 she was accepted into the Young Talent Class at the Grieg Academy,
University of Bergen. Between 2019-2022, she has been a member of the Talent Program at Prof.
Jiri Hlinka Piano Academy. This is an international academy based in Bergen with Leif Ove Andsnes, Håvard Gimse and Christian Ihle Hadland as the main mentors.

 

Kei has won several prizes in both national and international
competitions, such as 1st Prize and the audience award at the Norwegian National Music
Championship for youth, finalist and scholarship winner at Pianale Junior International Academy
and Competition, finalist at Japan E-piano Competition (she could not attend the final due to covid-19 restrictions), finalist at the Cecilia International Piano Competition & 1st Prize at Orbetello Piano Competition Online. She has also been awarded several scholarships.

 

She has been invited and performed
as a soloist at several concerts, for instance at the TV-program "Grieg Minute By Minute", which
was broadcasted in the event of the 175th anniversary of the birth of the Norwegian Composer
Edvard Grieg. As for other concerts, we mention the participation at the concertseries “Pianist of
the week” at Edvard Griegs home, Troldhaugen, and season opening concert for the concertseries,
“Aulaseriene” at the University Aula in Oslo. During the Bergen International Music Festival in
May 2023, Kei was invited to perform the Norwegian female composer, Anne-Marie Ørbeck’s
Piano Concerto, together with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Anna-Maria Helsing. 

Outside Norway, she has been performing both as soloist and chamber musician in Ireland, Finland, Italy, Germany, England, Sweden and Denmark. Since March 2025, Solvang has been a scholar at "Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now München e.V.".

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As an active chamber musician, she performs regularly with the Austrian cellist Sarah Moser and the Japanese violist Riko Eto. In October 2025, Kei and Sarah won the 2nd Prize at LFN International Chamber Music Competition in Bolzano, Italy. As a part of the prize, they will be giving a recital in January 2026 in Trentino, Italy. Since summer 2025, Solvang plays in a piano trio together with the Norwegian Birgitta Elisa Oftestad (cello) and Phelan Nyvoll Walker (violin).

 

As for Lied Duo, Solvang collaborates regularly with the Norwegian tenor singer, Ian Marcus Bjørsvik. They have been invited to perform in venues such as Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen, and in April 2023 they won the 2nd Prize at Langgaard Competition in Copenhagen, Denmark. They are regularly invited to perform at the concertseries "Sommerkonserter i Fana kirke" in Bergen, Norway.

 

Kei finished her Bachelor's degree with highest score at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in
Copenhagen, with Prof. Jens Elvekjær as her main mentor. From October 2025 she starts her Master's degree at Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Prof. Silke Avenhaus as her main mentor. Solvang's studies are generously supported by Ingar Dobloug's Foundation.