Dagny Wenk-Wolff was born in southern Norway on the Lindesnes peninsula and began playing the violin at the age of five. She studied with Leif Jørgensen in Oslo, with Sándor Zöldy and Adelina Oprean in Basel, as well as with Sándor Végh in Salzburg and Camilla Wicks at Rice University in Houston.
Before and during her studies, Dagny won a number of concerto competitions, which led to solo performances with all the major Norwegian orchestras, as well as several Swiss and American professional orchestras. In 1983, she won the Premio Chigi Saracini in Siena, and in 1991 she won the violin category at the competition in Oklahoma City, as well as the Overall Prize across all categories.
Dagny Wenk-Wolff received chamber music tuition from, amongst others, György Kurtág, Sándor Végh, György Sebök, the Tokyo String Quartet and Ferenc Rados, and has been a regular guest at chamber music festivals since her student days, including Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, the Ernen Chamber Music Festival, Settembre in Musica (Ascoli Piceno), La Stravaganza (Rome), the Amsterdam Schubert Festival, etc.
Building on this experience, she founded the annual Lindesnes International Chamber Music Festival in 2003, for which she has served as Artistic Director ever since.
Interview
In conversation with Dagny Wenk-Wolff
What is it like for you to play in a chamber orchestra?
It’s personal: everyone is in contact with everyone else (whilst playing).
Music is regarded as the ‘universal language of humanity’ – what grammar do you think it follows?
Through music, you can communicate things that you cannot manage to convey between people.
What do you want to convey to the audience at your concerts?
I hope that the audience enjoys the music just as much as I do during the concert.&
What does ‘good ensemble playing’ mean to you?
For me, the most important thing is to be mindful of my partners, to respond to them so that they feel at ease, and in that way bring out the best in them. When they’re inspired, they give their best, and it’s simply easier to play with good partners.
What is the most important moment for you during a concert?
When that big moment happens, when everything comes together.
