Biography - 1988 until now

The story so far

Back in February 1988 when Stig Rossen jumped into the conscience of the Danish audience with his entry to the Danish Eurovision Song Contest there probably weren't that many who predicted a promising career in showbiz for him!

Inevitably, a record was made that same year "Kærlighed - og alt det der" where his Danish Eurovision Song Contest entry "Vi danser rock og rul" was introduced and this record indicated that there was much more to this young man from Kolding than just soft pop music; the expression "heavy-pop" was used frequently in the studio during recording. That same album was followed by a concert tour around Denmark with the band Fenders and then there was silence! Stig Rossen had abandoned the Danish music scene and had dedicated himself to an acting course in London at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1987 - 1990).

It was not necessary to wait more than a few short months into the nineties before Stig made his professional debut in England.

He was offered to join the ensemble of Les Miserables and after only three months he was asked to take over the leading role of Jean Valjean. This dream role would later take him around the world. Today, he has played the part of Jean Valjean almost 1400 times in 7 different countries.

 

The album "Starry Starry Nights" was released in 1991 and it was the first collaboration with the symphony orchestra "Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester" and the English conductor David Firman.

The album sold beyond anybody's wildest expectations. It was the fastest selling musical album ever released in Denmark. Platinum in just four months - and this success was followed up with a completely sold-out concert tour.

The collaboration with "Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester" and David Firman continued on the next two albums, "The Impossible Dream" (1993) and "Live in Concert" (1994), which sold to Gold and Platinum respectively.

At this point Stig Rossen felt that he needed a new artistic challenge and in 1994-1995 he threw himself into the gospel genre in a beautiful partnership with the American gospel star Lillian Boutté.

This project involved a televised concert with a choir of thousands!

During this period Stig also began doing concerts with Svenn Skippers's 5-piece orchestra and explored a more intimate and "naked" concert style over the next 2-3 years.

 

1995 found Stig in negotiations with the recording company Polygram and after a ten month tour with Les Miserables in Asia and South Africa during 1996 a cooperation was initiated resulting in the album "Letters of Love" in April 1997.

This exciting project which introduced a new and more up-to-date sound pointed in the direction of a potential international recording career for Stig as one of the songs, "Miracle", topped the charts in Thailand and remained there for 12 weeks, 3 of them in the top spot.

 

In the fall of 1997 Stig assembled his current 11-piece band i preparation for a string of concerts in Denmark, where the repertoire would consist of a handful of "old" hits. Some of the new songs as well as brand new material.

 

At this point Stig felt he had found a musical constellation which gave him the freedom and flexibility he had sought and after a sold-out concert tour in the fall of 1998 as well as a huge success with the cd "Julelys" ("Christmas Candles") which sold 67.000 copies he spent the spring of 1999 in his demo studio at home in London, writing new songs.

 


Stig Rossen sang the Danish version of Phil Collins' beautiful songs made for Disney's animated feature "Tarzan", and he had the great honour of singing for Mr. Collins himself at the gala premier of the film in the Palladium Cinema in November.


The CD "Julelys", now with the bonus track "I den kolde vinter" ("In The Bleak Midwinter") - a duet with Norwegian soprano Christina Undhjem, became yet another sales success in 1999 with a further 28.000 sold copies bringing the total sales up to 95.000 - just 5.000 short of double platinum.


The Christmas concert tour in 1999 was another huge success with 30 completely sold-out concerts over a period of 22 days.


January and February 2000 kept Stig busy at the Fredericia Theatre where he played the part of Anatoly in the musical "Chess". After 18 sold-out shows in Fredericia the ensemble took off on a short tour with three performances in Esbjerg and two in Herning.

In the middle of April Stig moved back to Denmark after living in England for thirteen years. Again this year he could be found on the centre stage at the Langeland Festival, where he delivered a tremendous show together with his 11-piece band.

 

Stig toured the country with outdoor concerts all through the summer while at the same time putting the final touches on his album "Stories" which was released 30th October.

 

 


On the 3rd of November the new Danish musical "Egtved Pigen" ("The Egtved Girl") premièred at the Music Theatre in Vejle. In addition to Vejle this musical also played in Aarhus and Aalborg through November.


Stig was completely overwhelmed when legendary Nana Mouskori asked him to sing a duet with her on her latest album. This venture was turned into a guest appearance by Nana Mouskori on Stig's cd "Stories" with Nana's world hit "Only Love". "Stories" was released in November and had sold almost 50.000 copies by Christmas.


The year 2000 was sung out with 2 huge Christmas concerts in Forum, Copenhagen and Messecenter Herning, where Stig Rossen welcomed Christmas together with Oslo Gospel Choir and Swedish Tommy Körberg.


As early as January in the new Millennium Stig challenged himself with a part in the play "Ballads Of Art And Love" (Ballader om kunst og kærlighed") produced by The Danish Theatre and he toured with the play for three months.


Then followed another acting challenge in the form of a part in DR's successful television series "The Flying Squad" ("Rejseholdet"). Episode 20 was taped during March 2001 and it was aired on the 20th January 2002. Incidentally, this episode had the highest viewing figures ever for the serial.

 

 


Finally, there was time to spare for promoting the new CD "Stories", and a national tour was carried out in March 2001.

May was also the month when Stig gave a powerful performance as Judas in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" at Fredericia Theatre.

After a successful co-operation during the two musicals "The Egtved Girl" ("Egtved Pigen") and "Chess", Musical Director Mikkel Roennow and Stig Rossen established a company called "Rossen & Roennow" on the 30th March, with the goal to provide high quality musicals to the Danish audience. The first musical from the company was to be the Benny Andersson/Bjørn Ulvaeus/Tim Rice musical "Chess". Stig played the lead as Anatoly Sergievsky and the musical premiered in Aarhus on the 21st December 2001. The musical played to sold-out audiences in Aarhus, Copenhagen, and Vejle until May 2002.

In between all the musical activities, Stig found time to do the traditional Christmas Concerts at the family church in Kolding as well as two Christmas concerts with guest stars in Copenhagen and Herning.

 


During May 2002 Stig introduced a new theme to his audience with his national "Voices" tour where he paid tribute to three late legends Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as well as three very living legends Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones.

In June Stig took great pleasure in participating in a charity concert for the Children from Chernobyl as well as a performing at a Midsummer concert in Nibe.

The previous co-operation with Disney was followed with the new animated film "Lilo & Stitch" where Stig provided the voice of Captain Gantu. The film premiered in Denmark on the 6th September 2002.

On 21st of October Stig released his 8th solo album. This album consists of some of the best musical songs ever written. The musical backing is by The Danish Radio Concert Orchestra (RadioUnderholdningsOrkestret) conducted by David Firman.

The next challenge facing Stig was to play Jean Valjean in the international concert version of "Les Miserables" which toured in four Nordic countries in October and November. The international production of "Les Miserables in Concert" took off as scheduled in "Parken" Copenhagen in October 2002. Stig repeated his by now well-known role as Jean Valjean. This alternative version of "Les Miserables", where all the performers are gathered on the stage the entire time was a huge success and performances were added to the schedule in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

 

 


2002 was a genuine musical year for Stig and this becomes very apparent with his new cd "Love Changes Everything", which could be purchased from October 2002. Here Stig focused on musical numbers that he doesn't normally sing, and the cd comprises well-known and beautiful numbers from among others "Miss Saigon", "Chess", "Phantom of the Opera", "Jesus Christ Superstar", and of course "Les Miserables". The cd also has two duets with Joanna Ampil and Danish Susanne Elmark.

After their huge success with the musical "Chess", the production company Rossen & Roennow were now set to try their skills on a musical of lesser fame. The choice fell on Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" where Stig played the part of young Tony Forte. Casting took place during the fall of 2002 and rehearsals were scheduled all through November and December. Rossen & Roennow had again set their standards high and had picked the cream of the crop from musical scenes all over Europe. The musical opened in Copenhagen 10th January 2003 and it toured in Aarhus, Aalborg and Vejle.

In connection with their production of "Copacabana", Rossen & Roennow distributed a cd with the music from their own version of the musical.

 

 


Stig is guest performer on the new cd with the late Grethe Ingmann's entitled "Dansevise". The cd was made on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, when Denmark won for the first time with this song, performed by Grethe and Joergen Ingmann. The cd contains a remake of the song "Love" ("Kærlighed"), now as a duet with Stig Rossen and Grethe Ingmann. The cd is sold from 24th February 2003.

True to form Stig never had time to promote his latest cd "Love Changes Everything". He recovered the lost ground during the summer of 2003 with a series of outdoor concerts, as well as participating in this year's Castle Concerts, adding to the celebration of their 10th anniversary.

Complying with their objects clause, the next musical production under the Rossen & Roennow name had to be a well-known musical, and the choice now fell on "Les Miserables". As with the previous productions, this would also be made in the original language and have a choice of international performers in the cast. This time opening night took place in Aarhus, more precisely on 22nd December 2003, and the musical toured to Copenhagen, Aalborg, Vejle and Herning. Not surprisingly, Stig played Jean Valjean and he had looked forward to showing his Danish audience, what had made him famous on the British musical stage for so many years.

 

For a long time Stig's manager had tried to find a way of introducing Stig to the rest of the World, and USA was of course an obvious choice. Suddenly the opportunity arose in the form of a cancellation from Belgian Helmuth Lotti! Stig was invited to Detroit, USA by the TV-station "PBS - Detroit" to perform for approximately 4 million viewers, 2 million in USA and 2 million in Canada. Thursday 11th December at 9 p.m. Stig performed "live" in the programme "Stig Rossen in Concert".

Stig has also lent his voice to a continuation of the Disney animated feature "Lilo & Stitch. This new film is called "Stitch! Experiment 626" and sale began in November 2003. As for the first film, Stig lends his voice to the role of Captain Gantu.

Stig sang to the Danish version of the music from the Disney animated feature "Brother Bear", which opened in cinemas 6th February 2004. Stig repeated his cooperation with Phil Collins' and he sings 3 of the new songs in the film.

Rossen & Roennow have just won the price "Dejle", which is established by Vejle Theatre. The choice fell on Rossen & Roennow due to their commitment and great achievement in making Vejle the centre of the musical genre. The price was presented to Rossen & Roennow on stage right after curtain call on the opening night of "Les Miserables" in Vejle. This is also where the final performances of “Les Miserables” took place. After no less than 16 extra performances the final curtain call was 30th March 2004.

 

Stig has had a busy summer, with a concert in Greenland, castle concert and charity concert in Denmark, promotion of the DVD release of the animated Disney feature “Brother Bear” as well as the promotion of his own cd “Love Changes Everything” in USA.

 

 

Another important task has been to finalize his own DVD and double cd ”This Is The Moment” which will be released 20th September 2004. Both products are the result of the two international concerts taped at Tivolis’s Concert Hall in Copenhagen 2nd May. In addition to the release on cd and DVD the concerts will be broadcast nationally on PBS Television, USA in March 2005.


Another result from the interest awarded Stig in USA has been the avalanche of media attention, which has resulted in several television interviews and newspaper articles.

 

Stig was in Florida early October where he performed for the executive management of PBS and the heads of programs from all over the country.

 

As early as Sunday 24th October the television station Danish Radio (DR) decided to air 45 minutes from the concert ”This Is The Moment” which was taped 2nd May 2004 and just released in its full length on DVD.


The Disney animated feature ”Mulan 2” was released on DVD late November. Stig has again supplied his voice to the part of Shang.


Stig ended the year 2004 with a successful Christmas Tour in December, 12 densely packed days crisscrossing Denmark, with sold-out concerts and extra concerts added. This year the guest performer was Karen Marie Groth and Stig was again accompanied by his well-known orchestra and chorus.

 

In connection with a televised Danish appeal program launched in January 2005 for the victims of the tsunami in East Asia, a 45 minute concert with Stig and Trine Gadeberg was sold by auction. The auction price was an astounding 62.000 Danish Kroner plus fee (approx. 11,000 US $). Stig and Trine will perform for free and the lucky winner is free to choose time and place.


Stig was invited to try out the red couch for a talk with Soeren Dahl Saturday 19th February on the TV channel TV2 Charlie. TV2 reported later about the programme that ”Stig was in better shape than ever – and has a voice that embraces every music genre”. We were treated to a good discussion and it of course all lead up to a great song.


Stig was appointed to H. C. Andersen ambassador on the 2nd. March 2005. Stig received this prestigious title at a press conference held at the Post- & Tele Museum in Copenhagen. Read more about the ambassador title here: www.hca2005.dk


The time for Stig’s international breakthrough on American television came 5 – 17th March and Stig travelled to USA 3rd of March where a heavy schedule was waiting for him. Stig appeared live on several PBS TV stations in conjunction with the airing of the TV show. Stig provided his fans back in Denmark with a detailed and enthusiastic report from his trip. You can read the report ”here”

 

Elvis Presley’s legendary Memphis Sessions Band and the original backing singers The Sweet Inspirations toured in Denmark during April with a show entitled “FROM MEMPHIS TO DENMARK”. Stig was invited to participate in the shows and he interpreted a number of Elvis songs in the prominent company of Steen Jorgensen from “Sort Sol”, Bobo Moreno and Norwegian Stephen Ackles.

 

The concert which Stig and Trine Gadeberg offered up for auction to aid the “Support Asia” project early January was bought by the aid organisation ADRA. The concert was used as a charity concert in aid of AIDS stricken street children in Malawi, Africa. The goal was to collect a quarter of a million Danish Kroner. Both Trine and Stig gave an outstanding concert, which was held at Vejle Musikteater Sunday 17th April.


As a follow up to the popular TV concert from Tivoli, you could experience the concert ”This Is The Moment –Greatest Hits” with Stig and the Danish Radio Orchestra on 22nd April 2005. In the end one scheduled concert became three and they took place in Falconer Salen, Copenhagen.


The TV channel Danish Radio (DR) has produced an 8-part documentary about the Danish and International Eurovision Song Contest to celebrate the anniversary this year, and it comprises a number of features on Stig.

 

The international concert ”This Is The Moment” taped at Tivoli´s Concert Hall 2nd May 2004 was aired on the satellite channel Euroindex

Stig gave a concert in Fredericia 9th November 2005 to support the church “Christianskirken” The purpose was to collect funds for ornamentation of the church - specifically a glass mosaic created by Bjoern Norgaard at the price of 3,1 million Danish Kroner. This concert took place at Fredericia Theatre and you were promised a rare treat. Stig delved into his huge musical repertoire and he was accompanied by Bob Ricketts orchestra, who accompanied him on the US-tour.

Stig and his pianist gave a concert in Klosterkirken ”Our Saviour’s Church” in Horsens 10th November to support Cancer research.

Stig was of course an obvious candidate for the programme “Seize the Microphone”, and appeared together with Simone, competing against Etta and Simon. This programme was aired Saturday 22nd October.

Stig appeared as guest in the comedy series ”Clown”. The episode was entitled “The Irma Girl” and it was aired on the channel TV2 Zulu 31st October 2005.

The year 2005 ended with a highly successful Christmas concert tour that began late November and lasted most of December 2005. The guest performer of the year was Trine Jepsen, best known from the Popstar music group “Eye-Q”. Stig was accompanied by his house orchestra and chorus. With a total duration of 21 days, this was Stigs longest tour to date.

 

 


The year 2006 started with a string of New Year concerts. Among them 2 concerts together with Lyngby-Taarbaek Brass Band. There were also New Year concerts in Middelfart and Gudme on Fuenen, with Preben Palsgaard as master of ceremonies, and backed by Odense Police Orchestra, and in particular a spectacular New Year concert in Ballerup Super Arena, performing together with Simone, Kurt Ravn and Susanne Elmark.

The spring was filled with rehearsals at Odense Theatre, where Stig was scheduled to act the part of Rebelliere in the musical “The Colour of Love”. The musical was performed in the period 4th May to 14th June. “The Colour of Love” is an erotic musical about forbidden emotions and it takes its audience on an adventure trip to the tropical island of Martinique. In connection with the staging of the musical, TV2/Fuenen produced a documental series in four parts titled “Behind the scenes of Odense Theatre”. TV2/Fuenen also filmed an extensive interview with Stig about his coming debut at Odense Theatre and his life on Fuenen.

Even though the rehearsals demanded much of his time, there was still room for a few concerts in March and April, where the combination of Stig and Simone again was a huge success.

The Christmas Concert gradually grew during the spring. These concerts are becoming increasingly popular. And speaking of Christmas concerts! In February Stig also began working on a new Christmas CD. A good part of the summer was also spent planning and recording the CD which ended up with the title “Naar Du Ser Et Stjerneskud" (When You see a Shooting Star). The CD was available in stores from November 2006.

Stig and Trine Gadeberg repeated their success from 2005 with a charity concert for ADRA. This time with a gospel concert titled “Sound of Gospel”. Etta Cameron joined them as guest performer.

Stig also gave a number of outdoor concerts during the summer, such as a Musical Gala at the Fuenen Village in Odense, and “A Sunday on Als” at Augustenborg Castle.

Stig also threw himself into a new challenge during the summer. In cooperation with the journalist Helle Broberg Nielsen he wrote a textbook about the technique behind his lecture “Kiss the Routine”. The book was titled “Life must not be lived on Autopilot” and the distribution date was scheduled to 9th October 2009. In addition, he wrestled with a new side of himself, namely as guest preacher at Gudbjerg Church on 9th July.

This year Stig has given an extensive number of lectures countrywide, and in May he entered into an agreement with FOF Night School, where his lecture “Kiss the Routine” would be part of the night school programme in several cities.

During the fall and winter Stig has been involved in several radio- and TV programmes both in connection with his new book and his new CD. He has also been featured extensively in various Danish newspapers and magazines.

The sale of Stig’s book titled “Life must not be lived on Autopilot” had a tremendous start. The book made the top 10 of book sales both the first and second week of distribution and within the first month of publication the publishing house had to print a new edition.

On 17th November 2006 Stig performed at the charity concert ”The Diaspora for Africa Benefit Concert” in aid of The International Foundation Against Malnutrition - IFAM.

There were plenty of surprises from Stig during the year 2006, but the biggest was probably the news that he would take part in the Danish Eurovision Son Contest 2007. The announcement was made at a press conference 7th December.

The year ended as per tradition with a staggering 26 Christmas concerts in 21 days from 30th November to 20th December. The guest performer this year was Karina Kappel.

 

Stig started the year 2007 with the by now compulsory New Year Concert at Ballerup Super Arena, where he again performed with young Simone.

Late in 2006 Stig surprised everybody with the announcement that he would take part in the Danish Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The TV Channel DR had chosen to air this event at primetime over 3 nights, with two semi-finals and then the finals. The Events were filmed both in Holstebro, Aalborg and Horsens. The outcome of the competition kept the fans on the edge of their seats for a whole week, until the result was revealed. Stig received an impressive third place with the song ”Saa Naaer som nu” (”Never more close”). The song is written and composed by Ivar Lind Greiner. Afterwards the song made it to the Danish Music Hit List with an impressive fourth place.

March was an active concert month. First Stig appeared as performer at the inauguration of the new music house in Svendborg, and the 10th anniversary of Esbjerg Music House. Then Stig gave 2 successful concerts in Soenderborg and Vejle, where the audience was treated to “the American Concert” with Bob Ricketts and his orchestra. This concert was a huge success in the States and not surprisingly, the Danish audience loved it too.

Stig chose the spring to reissue the CD/DVD box ”This Is The Moment” which features the live concert taped in Tivoli in May 2004. This box had only been sold at concerts. The reissue was a huge success and the box was featured on the sales charts for many weeks.

April meant a gospel concert in Oelstykke with the choir Unity among others. There were also three tenor concerts in Horsens, Aalborg and Odense with Susanne Elmark, Kurt Ravn, Kenneth Oersoe as well as conductor Frans Rasmussen and the Slesvig Brass Band, These concerts were arranged by ASF – Dansk Folkehjaelp and the profit went solely towards providing socially disadvantaged children in Denmark with a holiday. Incidently, the concert was filmed by the TV channel DK4 and aired on 29th December.

May meant a guest part in the Danish comedy series “Gu’ske lov du kom” (“Thank God You Came”). The episode was aired on the channel TV3 25th of May.

It was also in May that the local TV station Midt-Vest were permitted to tape Stig’s lecture “Kiss the Routine”. The station aired the programme early November, and the lecture received much praise for being magnificent, present, relevant and entertaining.

1st June provided another chance to see and hear Stig perform with Simone. The city Kolding had arranged a cartoon festival and of course it was an obvious choice to ask Stig and Simone to take part, considering how many Disney songs they have sung, both together and separately.

The theme for this year’s castle concert was “The Very Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber”. It would be a meeting between some of the best Andrew Lloyd Webber interpreters from Scandinavia and Stig, with his firm knowledge here, was a shoe-in.

USA was a main theme for September. The dream of an American breakthrough lives on and Stig continues to receive many requests from across the pond. Stig has now found a new American agent and on the 6th and 7th September he performed with two showcases at a conference for the music industry in Columbus, Ohio. Later the same month Stig returned, this time to Louisville, Kentucky, in order to give a third showcase at an even larger conference on the 28th September. All three showcases went extremely well and Stig received unprecedented standing ovations. Stig and his managers are now hard at work preparing tours in USA for 2008 and 2009. You can read Stig’s own tour report "here"

 

In between the trips across the pond, Stig found time to perform at the ASF – Dansk Folkehjaelk Gala Show, which took place at Tivoli’s Concert Hall 9th September.

Stig surprised his many fans with the release of a new CD 12th September. The CD was titled “Sange Til Hende” (“Songs for Her”) and consists of 14 brand new Danish songs about men, women and love. It is a CD with bite, humor, wit and a twinkle. The song “Du er for laekker” (“You are simply too dishy”) from the CD made it to the Danish music hit list and achieved a 7th place.

Stig was offered yet another guest appearance in the comedy series ”Gu’ske lov du kom” (Thank God you came!”). The episode was aired early November.

October was taken up with both concerts and lectures. First with the inauguration of Arena Fuenen, this had an impressive list of performers. Then an invitation from the Faroe Islands called Stig to Torshavn, where his concert on 20th October was completely sold out. He later gave two open lectures in Tasstrup and Broendby, and the month ended with a church concert in Glostrup.

"Når du ser et stjerneskud" (“When You See a Shooting Star”) from last year was reissued this November with the bonus track “Du loefter mig” (“You Raise Me Up”), a translation done by Erling Moellehave.

 

 

 

2008

 

The year started out strong with a media performance as early as the 3rd January where Stig was invited as guest in DR1’s “Aftenshowet” (“The Evening Show”) together with Simone and Bent Fabricius-Bjerre to promote the upoming New Year concert in Ballerup Super Arena.

 

The media activities continued over the following months with appearances in the shows ”Soendagsholdet” (“The Sunday Team”) on Radio Fuenen, “Top Charlie”, “Charlie’s Stjerner” (Charlie’s Stars”), “Meyerheim’s Talkshow” on the TV channel Charlie and “Godmorgen Danmark” (”Goodmorning Denmark”) on TV2. Stig also gave an extensive interview to the newspaper “Kristeligt Dagblad”.

 

On 26th January Stig appeared as guest performer in the charity show “Children Have a Right to Live” arranged by the TV Station DR1. The purpose was to collect funds to help reduce child death in Africa and 12 humanitarian organisations and DR were behind the project.

 

For Stig the year 2008 also started with the rather unusual phenomenon that the number ”Du er for laekker” (“You Are Too Gorgeous”!) from his latest CD ”Sange til hende" (”Songs for Her”) achieved a 7th place on Danish Top Twenty Hit. The number remained on the list for several weeks.

 

The popular charity concerts “ASF – Dansk Folkehjaelp” from April 2007 were repeated on the TV Channel DK4 in January. Incidentally, it was these concerts that inspired Stig to come up with the idea for the theatre concert “Four Jacks”.

 

Spring offered a repeat of the successful concert tour ”Voices” from 2002. Back then Stig received many positive reactions to the concert, so he decided to try this concept once more. This repeated tour grew to a total of 9 concerts in as many cities.

Concurrently with the tour Stig also distributed the CD “Voices” which is a live version of the original concert in Horsens, taped in April 2002. This CD was only sold in connection with the concert tour. Afterwards the CD is only available through Stig’s own webshop (link).

 

The first tender steps for the “Four Jacks” concert “Oh, that Road to Mandalay” took place in Tivoli, Copenhagen where the show opened 14th April 2008. The theatre concert tells the story of the Danish quartet which had a short but highly active career from the mid-fifties and lasted for ten years.

The quartet from back then could best be described as the first Danish boy band and the old stars come to life again with the assistance of Stig Rossen, Jesper Asholt, Keld Heick and Jesper Lohmann. The career of the Four Jacks was short, but intense. In less than 10 years they recorded a long list of classics which people to this day – 50 years later – can remember still and join in the chorus.

 

In light of the huge success with ”Four Jacks” the 4 gentlemen were invited back to Tivoli in July for the third time, and they gave 10 sold-out concerts.

 

This summer offered one castle performance at Hindsgavl Castle, where Stig chose to give a ”swinging” concert in honour of ”The Year of the Song”.

 

Stig appeared as guest at the annual fireworks regatta in August. In this connection the audience also had the opportunity to experience the Canadian group Barrage, who acted as warm-up band for Stig. Amusingly, Stig had just recently published that the name of his guest performers at the Christmas Concert Tour in 2008 actually would be the group Barrage, so the audience had a great opportunity here to familiarize themselves with an exiting and brilliant group of young performers.


In September, Stig appeared as guest performer at the ”Last Night of the Tivoli Proms” together with Susanne Elmark, Trine Pallesen and of course The Tivoli Promenade Orchestra.


Four Jacks, that is Stig Rossen, Keld Heick, Jesper Asholt and Jesper Lohmann, were also invited as guests on the TV programme ”Top Charlie”. The taping of the show took place in October.

 

The success of the theatre concert ”Four Jacks – Oh that road to Mandalay” in the spring was quickly followed up with a DVD/CD box which was ready for the market early November.

 

Also in November Disney distributed the film “Narnia Prince Caspian”, where Stig can be heard in the role of the evil king Miraz on the Danish version of the DVD.

 

Stig took part in the television station DR’s Christmas Show, which offered lots of yuletide spirit and star studded music performances. The show was aired near Christmas and again during the Christmas holidays.

 

The year ended with the by now very mandatory Christmas Concert Tour which in 2008 comprised 26 concerts and guest performances by the Canadian group Barrage. Incidentally, Barrage distributed a new Christmas CD this December where Stig appears on two of the numbers.

 

 

 

2009

 

Stig had promised his many American fans that he would be back, so he started the new year with a brief tour in the eastern part of the States.

 

Stig was invited to perform at a gala show in Odense 4th April. The show was arranged by the fashion shop Lis G. In addition to Stig, the group ”Paa Slaget Tolv”, Bent Fabricius Bjerre and Trine Pallesen performed, and Keld Heick acted as master of ceremonies.


The Four Jacks theatre concerts returned to Tivoli in 2009 and the first night of the revival took place 17th April. The show continued until 27th April whereupon it went on a countrywide tour during May. With the revival of the show also followed a string of TV interviews and guest performances.

 

Early August Stig made a quick visit to Pennsylvania, USA, where he gave a concert at the annual Wildflower Music Festival.

 

Instead of a castle concert this year Stig treated his fans to a concert at Knuthenborg Park & Safari at the end of August.

 

The popularity of the “Four Jacks” theatre concerts seemed endless so another round of concerts took place in Tivoli, Copenhagen 1st – 13th September.


In October Ann-Mette Elten, known from the group ”Paa Slaget 12”, distributed a new solo album called ”Close To You”. The CD comprises a duet with Stig where they sing the number ”Without You”.

 

On 8th November Stig performed at a Lions Club charity event together with Anne Dorthe Michelsen and Slesvig Music Corps. He also did 4 church concerts with pianist during November.

 

Stig had just enough time for a Christmas concert in Torshavn on Faroe Islands late November before the annual Christmas Concert Tour called. It was during this trip to Torshavn that Stig had an accident with a motorbike. An accident which would cause him a great deal of pain during the upcoming concert tour.

 

The Christmas Concert Tour of 2009 was very special. This was the 15th anniversary tour and it was celebrated in great style with great surprises, i.e. in the form of the only 12 year old singer Thomas Meilstrup who sang the number “Pie Jesu” in a duet with Stig, not to mention the elaborate stage decoration. The guest performer was a welcome repeat by Christina Undhjem, who appeared for the first time ten years back.

 

The year before Stig had invited his audience to take part in a competition, where he wanted them to point out their favourite Christmas song. The many, many ideas and suggestions he received would of course be an enormous influence for Stig when preparing for the anniversary tour. Surprisingly, the winning song was not a Christmas song but the beautiful hymn “En rose saa jeg skyde”. At year end Stig could look back on an overwhelmingly successful Christmas Tour, where the number of concerts set a new record.

 

2010

 

Stig had a motorcycle accident on Faroe Islands late November last year where he broke 3 ribs among other things. The accident meant that he had to go through the concert tour while in a lot of pain. Subsequently, it was absolutely necessary that Stig took a rest all of January, which regrettably meant that he was unable to perform at the planned New Year Concert.

 

Thankfully, Stig was well enough in February to give 3 concerts in the States and a charity concert for the Sclerosis Association “Roseliv” in Odense 7th March and a gospel concert 13th March.

 

By then it was time to start rehearsal for the theatrical performance “Sweeney Todd”, where Stig was playing the part of Judge Turpin in the thriller musical which played in Odense Theatre from 28th April to 14th June.

 

The Four Jacks theatre concert was still overwhelmingly popular and this resulted in more concerts during March, May, July and yet another countrywide tour in September and October.

 

In between Stig also tried his strength with jazz as he had been invited as guest performer in the programme “Crazy about Water” in Vejle 5th August, where he sang with Pojken Flensborg Jazz Group”.

 

After another successful and mostly sold-out countrywide tour with ”Four Jacks” it was again time for Stig to concentrate on the traditional Christmas concert tour. The guest star this year was Rikke Hvidbjerg, who is a well-known all-round singer and musical star who has appeared in “Grease”, “Be-bob-a-lula”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and many others.

 

There was just time for a moving Christmas concert with two musicians in Grinsted Church prior to starting the actual Christmas tour.

 

Stig published a new combined Christmas concert DVD/CD on 22ndNovember entitled “En rose så jeg skyde”. The concert was taped in DR Byen with a live audience back in March, and in addition to the concert, the DVD version also contained bonus numbers and interviews. Stig’s loyal concert goers will undoubtedly remember that the song “En rose så jeg skyde” was the most wanted song in the competition arranged to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Christmas Concert Tour.

 

In between both the concerts and the publication of the new DVD/CD box, Stig had also found the time to update his website www.stigrossen.dk with a completely new design and the launch of the new website was arranged to coincide with the publication of the new DVD/CD box.

 

Stig also managed to squeeze in 3 guest appearances at Christmas concerts with Odense Police Orchestra, which took place at Odense Concert House early in December.

 

Thursday 2nd December Stig could briefly be found in Aarhus, appearing as guest at the radio show “Café Hack”, mainly to talk about his new DVD/CD. The show was aired Sunday 5th December.

 

Occasionally the TV channel TV2 likes to follow Stig’s activities, and in December the producers decided to let a camera team follow him on 7thDecember, to give a background story on the mechanics of a Christmas Concert tour. They hooked up with Stig when he boarded the train in Nyborg, followed him through the sound rehearsals and the actual concert in Ringsted, all the way to the meeting with fans and signing of autographs after the concert. It resulted in a 3 minute feature which TV2 News aired 9th December.

 

 

December turned out to be an active month for Stig on many fronts as he also elected to publicize plans for a successor to the theatre concert “Four Jacks”. The second “Four Jacks” theatre concert will open 30th May 2011 in Tivoli, Copenhagen, and will go on a country wide tour in the fall. The theatre concert to follow “Aah, den vej til Mandaley” is entitled “More Jacks” and will concentrate on the fateful New Years Eve in 1963 that would be the very last time the quartet performed together. What happened that night and what made the 4 gentlemen decide to go their separate ways? The theatre concert will of course be spiced with anecdotes and “new” hits from the extensive repertory of songs.

 

 

 

2011

 

 

As per popular tradition Stig had signed on to appear in various New Year concerts. This January he took part in three, one in Ringsted Congress Centre where he performed along with Louise Fribo and Tivoli’s Promenade Orchestra, and two concerts in Middelfart and Gudme respectively, where he performed together with Odense Police Orchestra and Charlotte Guldberg among others.

 

The Danish music world lost a prominent member the night of 1st January 2011 with the sudden and tragic death of singer Flemming “Bamse” Joergensen. This left the band “Bamses Venner” with an extensive list of contractual obligations but their pivotal element was missing. In an attempt to find a temporary solution to the situation, which otherwise would have left the concert organizer in difficulties due to Bamses unexpected death, the manager of “Bamses Venner” approached Stig and a concert arranged in Saeby on 29th January was agreed upon. Not surprisingly, this concert was covered extensively by the media and fortunately it was an overall success despite the sad reason behind it. Stig was very grateful for the fact that the audience readily accepted his interpretation of Bamses incredibly popular songs.

 

A memory concert for Bamse was arranged in Aarhus on 7th February, the date when Bamse would have turned 64. All concert tickets were sold in less than an hour and Stig again appeared with the band “Bamses Venner” and their medley of 6 classical Bamse songs was acknowledged by a very appreciative crowd of fans.

 

Stig gave a moving and intimate concert with pianist at Jammerbugt Cultural Center near Aabybro Thursday 17th February and another in Hobtrup Church on 3rd March.

 

On 6th March Stig appeared as guest at the charity concert “Roseliv” together with Kim Sjoegren, The Little Mermaid Orchestra, Benny Hayes, Hanne Bramsen as well as Jesper Buhl. The concert took place at Odense Concert House and was in aid of the Danish Sclerosis Society. This year the concert arrangers could celebrate the 10th anniversary of the “Roseliv” concerts and Stig appeared for the second time.

 

On the occasion of the theatre concert “More Jacks” which will open in Tivoli 30th May, the quartet appeared in the talkshow “Meyerheim” 4th April where they sang 2 songs from their new show.

 

 

 

2012

 

Stig started the year in force as the solo performer at thirteen countrywide New Year concerts during January. This proved to be both a very cheery and successful cooperation with the Prince’s Band.

 

After two concerts with Stig and Friends in early February, Stig again crossed the pond, where he gave eight concerts in a number of cities in North and South Carolina as well as Florida.

 

Stig had a CD produced specifically for his American audience prior to this US tour. The CD is titled “The Way You Make Me Feel” and contains eleven timeless classics performed in English and inspired by Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder among others. The CD was later made available for Stig’s general audience via his web shop.

 

Back in Denmark after his concert experiences in USA and a well deserved vacation with his family, Stig was recharged and ready for a busy month in March. This month consisted of many more Stig and Friends concerts, a string of “More Jacks” theatre concerts, a guest performance at the charity concert “Roseliv”, which supports the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Society, a gala gospel concert in Toender as well as a completely sold out concert with pianist at the Holbaek Hostel.

 

Back in February, just after the US tour, Stig and Friends took part in a taping for the television show “Top Charlie”, in which they performed with Bamse’s song “Har du lyst”. The show was aired late February and the song managed to stay on the Top Charlie hit list for three weeks.

 

April comprised another short trip to the US, where two concerts in Pennsylvania called. The remainder of April, May and early June were a little less hectic, with primarily Stig and Friends concerts and a church concert in Hvide Sande filling the calendar.

 

Stig was officially appointed protector for KidsandMedia on 2nd May. He will help raise awareness of “kidsandmedia – Your guide to the digital life for children” – a task he was happy to embrace.

 

Stig appeared as guest at a romantic outdoor concert in Oerbaeklunde on Fuenen late June. During July, August and September he took part in the traditional DR Shows at Ledreborg, where the theme this year was music from popular movies, and the summer concert at Jelling, arranged by Vejle Theatre. The period also offered a number of Stig and Friends concerts. The latter group could also be seen on TV South 21st September when they aired a live broadcast from Vejle Music Theatre.

 

Stig’s lecture “Kiss the Routine” was made available to the public once in early September, and Stig also appeared both as solo performer and master of ceremonies at the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award Show on 30th September, which took place at Odense Concert House.

 

Following an incredibly popular guest performance with Ann-Mette Elten at the cathedral in Aarhus early October, where the proceeds went to Red Cross, Stig then took part in many more Stig and Friends concerts, as well as some “More Jacks” shows and a few church concerts, before the popular Christmas Concert Tour was launched late November. The guest performer this year was Christina Chanée, best known as the female part of the duo Chanée and N'evergreen.

 

Songs performed by Stig and Friends, and especially solo performances with Stig, were well represented on a wide range of CD compilations sold this Christmas.

 

 

 

2013

 

Stig’s very first job this year was as guest performer at a huge gala event which took place at Vejle Music Theatre on the occasion of their 20th anniversary.

 

And then a whole new challenge was starting for Stig, namely in the form of a non-singing role in a classic play. Stig had been offered the part of squire Pozzo in Samuel Beckett’s classical play “Waiting for Godot”, produced by Morten Grundwald. The play opened at Hvidovre Theatre 11th January and already on the 12th January the ensemble started on a countrywide tour that lasted until 22nd February, whereupon they returned to the Hippodrome Theatre in Copenhagen to play until 27th March. Both Stig and the play received fine reviews and generated a lot of media activity.

 

Aarhus Theatre could reveal a very exciting piece of news on 10th March: Stig would again be playing the part of Jean Valjean. The huge stake for the theatre in the spring of 2014 would be the musical Les Miserables with Stig in his probably most famous musical role.

 

In between playing squire Pozzo in ”Waiting for Godot”, Stig managed to find time for a few Stig and Friends concerts in Saeby and Ringsted. The “Four Jacks” act was also awakened again when the quartet played in front of a sold out audience at Holbaek Hostel on 3rd May.

 

Stig also snuck one intimate concert at Odder Park Hotel as well as a Stig and Friends concert into the calendar early May, and early June he was called back to the Hippodrome Theatre in Copenhagen for two extra performances of “Waiting for Godot”.

 

During the remainder of June, and in July and August Stig offered a variety of concerts, from several Stig and Friends concerts, via two John Mogensen concerts at Vissenbjerg on Fuenen and at the famous Brundby Hotel on the island of Samsoe, to a number of open air concerts, among them a manor concert at Lynderupgaard near Viborg, where he doubled with both a solo performance and as part of Stig and Friends.

 

On 27th August Stig could be found among the guest performers at the opening concert for the Aalborg cultural, sport and fashion festival

“Aalborg in Red”.

 

Stig also appeared as ”special guest” in connection with the 600 years borough jubilee celebration that took place in Skagen 31st August.

 

25th September was the day when Sig received the Wauw-Award of 30,000 DKK for his part in the classic theatre play “Waiting for Godot”. The Lauritzen Foundation is presenting this award to an already established actor who gives a surprising and unexpected performance, and the award committee expressed great enthusiasm for Stig’s “change” from singer to actor.

 

In the fall Stig was challenged with another chance to tread the boards, this time in a new musical called “The Frigate” produced by Daniel Bohr, written by the author Thomas Hoeg and with music written by Kim Soerensen. Stig played the lead part as Captain Holm and the story evolved around the Frigate “Jutland” and the battle that took place in 1864. The musical toured the country from 19th September to 22nd October, and also included a detour to Flensburg in Germany.

 

In between playing Captain Holm, Stig had a number of concerts scheduled. There was a concert with pianist in Esbjerg, two concerts with Stig and Friends in Skibbild near Herning and in Linstow, Germany respectively, another round of “Four Jacks” in connection with a town festival in Odense, as well as a John Mogensen concert at Hoelbaek Hostel.

 

Aarhus Theatre introduced their spring program to an excited audience on 14th November and Stig was present with samples from the musical Les Miserables. Thus, the audience discovered how the song “Bring Him Home”, which is probably the most famous song from this musical, sounded in this beautiful old theatre.

 

Shortly before the annual Christmas Concert tour, Stig introduced a new CD titled “The voices of Christmas” (“Julens Stemmer”) to his audience. The CD consists of eleven songs performed a capella. On nine numbers Stig sings with his popular choir from the Christmas tours and on the remaining two songs Stig sings with the Danish Radio Girl Choir.

 

As per tradition the Christmas Concert tour started with a church concert late November, to be followed by a generally sold-out tour. This year offered a revisit of the by now 15 year old song talent Thomas Meilstrup as guest performer.

 

 

2014

 

Danish Radio (DR) had such a huge success with the Disney concerts at Ledreborg back in 2011 that they decided to repeat the concept during a series of New Year concerts with the same theme. Consequently, Stig was heavily involved in this project for most of January.

 

Stig tried another venue at Aarhus Theatre when his popular lecture “Life should not be lived on Autopilot” was available to the public on the smaller stage Scala 1st February.

 

Then it was time to focus strongly on the rehearsals for the musical Les Miserables.

Stig managed to make room for four Stig and Friends concerts during the rehearsal period, but apart from those he concentrated seriously on getting in shape to play Jean Valjean again. The musical opened at Aarhus Theatre 21st March.

 

As many will know, Stig has played the part of Jean Valjean a record-breaking number of times and all over the world, but it was in Aarhus he could celebrate another magic number. The performance at Aarhus Theatre Tuesday 15th April 2014 was the evening when Stig rounded performance number 1500. After this performance a large turnout of spectators had crowded outside the theatre and the theatre management served sparkling wine and distributed small French flags to everyone. There were speeches from the balcony where Stig also gave a thank you speech. This jubilee caused quite a lot of media focus on both Stig and the show, resulting in many interviews both before and after the actual date of celebration.

 

The musical Les Miserables was a huge success both for Stig and Aarhus Theatre.

The scheduled period for the musical was extended a number of times, with the final performance on 24th May. Incidentally, these extensions resulted in an urgent helicopter trip for Stig on Saturday 24th April, as he was scheduled for a matinee performance in Aarhus but he also had to be in Copenhagen in the evening, to take part in the show “Top Charley in the Park” with Stig and Friends.

 

Shortly before Easter the Danish division of the religious association OSMTH (The Grand Priory of the Kingdom of Denmark) published the book “Easter Hymns” and Stig can be found as guest performer on the double CD which accompanies the book.

In connection with this publication Stig took part in two church concerts held in Aarhus and Fredericia.

 

The TV channel DR K had bought the rights to the awarded theatre performance “Waiting for Godot” in which Stig plays the part of squire Pozzo, and the play was aired Easter Saturday 19th April.

 

Stig managed to include two Stig and Friends concerts and a guest performance at the annual Patty Festival in Odense before he had to concentrate on the plans for his 25th anniversary concert, which was scheduled to take place at the Concert House in Odense 19th June. This celebration should really have taken place in 2013, since the start of Stig’s professional career took off with a flying start in 1988, when he took part in the Danish Eurovision Song Contest and entered the stage with his by now famous cartwheel jump and the song “We Are Dancing Rock and Roll” (“Vi danser rock og rul”). Unfortunately, there simply wasn’t space in Stig’s calendar in 2013, so the celebration was pushed to 2014 where the anniversary was commemorated with a concert during which Stig was praised by many of his colleagues and a huge audience. The show was taped for television by the channel TV and has since been aired several times both on TV2 and Charlie.

 

It was a return to familiar territory when Stig took part in many outdoor concerts both solo and as part of Stig and Friends during the months of July, August and September. He also gave a church concert in Tved Church and four short but extremely popular outdoor concert arrangements on the island of Bornholm.

 

Stig returned as guest performer and master of ceremonies at the official opening of the annual Hans Christian Andersen Festival in Odense on 17th August. The Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award is also presented at this event.

 

A revival of a well-known concept took place 22nd and 23rd August, where Stig performed his concert “Voices” at Glassalen in Tivoli, Copenhagen. Here Stig pays homage to some of the greatest male singers, both living and dead: Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones.

 

Stig appeared as guest performer in “Summer Songs in Mariehaven” with Helge Engelbrecht 31st August, he also gave a guest performance at a gala show on Nykoebing Mors 4th September as well as an outdoor concert in Roende on 6th September where he supported the “Relay for Life” event arranged by the Danish Cancer Society.

 

The TV channel Charley celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a show and a recording in Aarhus Music House 25th September and Stig appeared as guest. The TV channel taped their New Show the same evening, and Stig was a part of this as well.

The anniversary show was aired 4th October and the New Year Show was of course a popular feature on New Years Eve.

 

Another guest performance took place 27th September, where Stig joined Tivoli Promenade Orchestra at Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, to take part in their show “Last Night of the Proms”.

 

The ever-popular More Jacks were also revived again, both at Holbaek Hostel in September, and in Aarhus and Hjallerup during November.

 

Danish Radio’s unpopular decision to discontinue their Radio Entertainment Orchestra provoked a benefit concert in aid of preserving the popular orchestra. The concert took place at Vega in Copenhagen 26th October and Stig was one among many performers. Incidentally, Stig has since then been an active part of a group which is working to preserve the orchestra’s existence.

 

Stig was a surprise guest in the TV show “Breinholt and Friends” which aired 31st October.

 

A fair number of Stig and Friends concerts filled the calendar in the fall, before a church concert in Roedding Church near Spoettrup on 26th November initiated the Christmas Concert tour. The guest performer this year was the popular Danish singer Maria Lucia. This year the tour also comprised a concert in Flensburg, Germany.

 

Stig also revealed in December that yet another “Four Jacks” chapter is about to be added. The four popular gentlemen Keld Heick, Jesper Asholt, Jesper Lohmann and Stig will go on tour with the new concert “Four Jacks For Ever” in September and October 2015.

John Mogensen

– en af Danmarks mest folkekære musikere

Så længe jeg lever, Nina Kære Nina, To men’sker på en strand. Højt elskede evergreens, som Stig Rossen fortolker i ægte John Mogensen-stil. Akkompagneret af en trio, fortæller Stig Rossen sjove, frække og varme anekdoter om John Mogensen undervejs.

Se på Youtube Book
John Mogensen fortolket af Stig Rossen med trio

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