Arve Tellefsen is the initiator and artistic director of the Oslo Chamber Music Festival and could in 1989 invite audience and musicians welcome to the first Chamber Music Festival in Norway.

Tellefsen founded Oslo Chamber Music Festival to show the diversity of chamber music and to bring the music out to a larger audience than the traditionally had in Norway until then. He is still the festival enthusiast and artistic director. The festival has over the years established itself as an important and popular player in the Norwegian music scene, both with musicians and audiences.

Oslo Chamber Music Festival presents music from the Middle Ages to our own time. The festival strives to maintain a high level of interest provoking events and performers. It offers audiences top quality music and is an attractive meeting place for some of the most prominent musicians. Recruitment within Norwegian chamber music is important for Oslo Chamber Music Festival, and it places great emphasis on having children and youth as both performers and audiences.

Oslo offers many wonderful concert space. The festival expands the concert experience by using city cultural historic gems as concert venues. Akershus Fortress was of Oslo's population chosen for the most popular area in Oslo in 2005, and the festival is proud to have this area as the festival pulsating heart. HM Queen Sonja has been festival protector for many years and the royal couple have opened both Oscarshall and palace chapel at the Royal Castles for the festival concerts. This gives concerts an extra dimension, both for the audience and performers.