Grieg Academy has in recent years increasingly taken a public stance implying that it is ""the"" Grieg Academy, yet for those who know this history it remains undeniably clear that "the Grieg Academy" actually continues to be spread across two institutions, University of Bergen and Bergen University College, with some forms of collaboration. In recent years, the folk music school Ole Bull Academy in nearby Voss (named after renowned violin virtuoso Ole Bull), has also been to some extent brought under the Grieg Academy umbrella. The name Grieg may be traced to Norway's most famous composer Edvard Grieg, a native son of
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra has had a long tradition of playing contemporary music. Ludwig van Beethoven's second symphony was performed in Bergen in the year it was published, 1804, even before it was performed in Berlin. Bergen-born composer Edvard Grieg had close ties with the orchestra, and was artistic director from 1880 to 1882. He also bequeathed a portion of his estate to a fund which continues to provide financial support for the orchestra. Other composers have served as principal conductor of the orchestra, including Arvid Fladmoe, Johan Halvorsen, Iver Holter, Richard Henneberg, Olav Kielland and Per Winge. Composer Harald Sæverud was frequently invited