Since this festival was established in 1991 it has received a great deal of attention in the Norwegian media and is considered to be one of the musical highlights of the Norwegian festival year. Its main aim is to create an arena for musicians of outstanding quality to perform chamber music in an attractive and accessible part of Norway. The focus is on chamber music for smaller ensembles and the programme aims to combine Norwegian works with a wide variety of international music. The festival has established itself internationally through radio broadcasting in Denmark by Danish Radio and in several European countries through the European Broadcasting Union. BBC World Service has broadcast it in the UK and it is also well known in Germany where concerts have been broadcast to coincide with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. In 1999 the festival visited the Wigmore Hall in London as a part of the Norwegian initiative Visions of Norway.