Biography

Kristina Farstad Bjørdal (born 1990) started playing the accordion at the age of 5, inspired by her father, who also played the instrument. She holds a master’s degree in performance accordion from the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Kristina has won numerous gold medals at the Norwegian Accordion Championships (NM), in various categories such as solo performance (18 years and older), duets (15 years and older), old-time dance groups, entertainment music, open class, orchestral music, among others. She has been a finalist at the Landsfestivalen in Gammaldansmusik and the Storefjelltreffen. In 2022, she won gold in the open class at the Storefjelltreffen alongside Marius Berglund. In 2021, she was awarded the “Bolstad Prize” for her contributions to traditional accordion music.

Kristina is one of the most sought after accordionists in all of Norway. She has performed at festivals and concerts across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, and Croatia. She has toured regularly in Norway and Iceland, and has appeared as a guest on NRK Radio and the radio program Víðsjá on Rás1 (Icelandic National Broadcasting) as well as on Faroese National Broadcasting. She has been actively involved in the project Trekkspel på reise, which highlights classic accordion compositions from greats like Frosini, Deiro, Haagenrud, Liebak, Johansen, and others. This genre holds a special place in Kristina's heart, and she is passionate about bringing this accordion tradition, with all its gems, to a wider audience.

Kristina is a versatile and sought-after musician with expertise in a wide range of genres. She is educated in classical and contemporary music, and also performs folk music, entertainment music, dance music, and improvisation. She is frequently called upon to accompany singers and other musicians. Kristina is also the leader of the Fjord Orchestra and the project manager for the classical accordion festival NordAccordion in Voss. Additionally, she collaborates with several musicians, including Jorun Marie Kvernberg, Britt Pernille Frøholm, Britt Elise Skram and Marius Berglund. These partnerships further showcase her versatility and dedication to preserving and promoting folk music through close musical relationships with prominent musicians in the folk music scene Other collaborations include jazz musician Carl Petter Opsahl, and classical accordionist Geir Draugsvoll. She is part of several folk music groups. Her work demonstrates her dedication to both classical and folk music, and her strong connections with prominent musicians in the music scene.