The Great Singer Whose Voice Was Silenced Too Soon
The career of singer Arne Bjerge came to an abrupt end when the coastal express ship Sanct Svithun ran aground near Nordøyan Lighthouse.
ARNE BJERGE: 1923–1962
The Great Singer Whose Voice Was Silenced Too Soon
The career of singer Arne Bjerge came to an abrupt end when the coastal express ship Sanct Svithun ran aground near Nordøyan Lighthouse.
Arne Bjerge grew up in an apartment at Trøndelag Theatre, where his father, Christian Bjerge, was an actor. His mother, Hildur, sang and danced at the Hjorten Revue and Variety Theatre in the Ila district of Trondheim.
Although Bjerge worked as sales manager for Trøndelag Margarine Factory, he was best known as one of Trondheim’s leading singers. He received outstanding reviews as a soloist in performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Mozart’s Requiem in Nidaros Cathedral, as well as Bach’s St John Passion in Oslo Cathedral. He performed in choral concerts and operatic productions and was frequently heard on Norwegian radio. In 1961, he also appeared on television together with another local singer, Per Sjølie.
On 21 October 1962, Bjerge was travelling on business for the Margarine Factory, taking the coastal express steamer to Brønnøysund. He was thirty-nine years old and looking forward to the fulfilment of a lifelong dream: he had secured a position with the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo.
That evening, the Sanct Svithun drifted off course in the Folda sea area. At 9:55 p.m., the vessel ran aground, tearing open the bottom of its cargo hold. By 11:10 p.m., the ship had sunk near Nordøyan Lighthouse.
Norway’s worst peacetime maritime disaster had become a reality.
Forty-one people lost their lives, among them the acclaimed singer Arne Bjerge. He was survived by his wife, Gunnhild, and their two young children.