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Interview with
Christian L. Stahr

Kulturansvarlig/Director of Culture
Sjømannskirken in New York / Norwegian Seamen's Church in New York

Christian L. Stahr is a famous musician, I also became interested in theater when
pianist, and orchestrator responsible for I was younger, seeing the musical Les
promoting Norwegian art and culture to Miserables in London during a family trip
New Yorkers. It is not an easy task, so he in 1997. My sister and I did not want to see
is always a very busy man. We were lucky the show, but my parents insisted that we
to meet him in New York earlier this year, go since they spent lots of money on those
and he found time to answer our numerous tickets but told us we could leave in the
questions. So now the floor is yours, intermission. But when the interval came,
Christian. I was waiting for the 2nd act to start. The
combination of that fantastic music and
Q: You are a composer, pianist, and story, seeing the conductor, and watching
orchestrator. Please tell us a little about those incredible actors left a massive
yourself. impression on me.
I grew up in Sarpsborg, playing the piano at
age five and the trumpet in a marching band So years later, when I was studying
the year after. I was very interested in music Musicology at the University of Oslo, I
from early on, listening and playing my toy wanted to learn more about writing music
guitar to "Børud gjengen", and watching all for the theater. I couldn't find any schools in
the marching bands in the May 17th parade the Scandinavian countries, but one school
past my grandfather's house. He gave me a popped up during my web search, Tisch
wooden fruit box he turned upside down so School of the Arts at New York University.
I could use it as a drum and play along with They had a 2-year MFA program called
the music. Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program,
which was exactly what I was looking for. But

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