Artists' rehearsals kick off at Telenor Arena

It is an exciting day for the production crew, press and fans here in Oslo. Apart from very little traffic in the streets of Oslo on this rainy Sunday morning, there is excitement in the air in and around the Telenor Arena.

What's happening?

Let's give you an insight on how things are planned here. In the days to come, all Semi-Final contestants will rehearse on stage for 40 minutes. After their rehearsal, they go to the viewing room. At the viewing room, the delegation has the opportunity to review light, sound and directing. Suggestions for improvement will then be passed on to the respective technicians, or the multi-camera director. After visiting the viewing room, the contestants go to the Press Centre, where they have a 40 minute press conference or fan meet-and-greet.

The first round of Semi-Final rehearsals lasts until Wednesday. From Thursday on, all contestants will rehearse once again, this time for just 30 minutes. They will visit the viewing room afterwards, and will go to the Press Centre for a 30-minute press conference afterwards. The pre-qualified Finalists - contestants from Spain, Norway, United Kingdom, France and Germany - will rehearse on Saturday and Sunday.

On Monday the 24th of May, two Dress Rehearsals of the first Semi-Final are set to take place. On Tuesday, the day of the live show of the first Semi-Final, there will be one more Dress Rehearsal. The same routine will be followed for the second Semi-Final and the Final.

Today, contestants from Moldova, Russia, Estonia, Slovakia, Finland, Latvia, Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina rehearse.

Backstage efficiency

Backstage, things have been arranged slightly different compared to previous years at the Eurovision Song Contest. Instead of spending valuable time on stage doing sound checks, the artists have been asked to make their way to the arena a bit earlier this year, to do their sound check in a separate room. Modern technology allows the sound crew to digitally transfer the settings from the mixing table backstage, to the mixing table next to the stage.

How we'll keep you posted

During the event weeks, Eurovision.tv will keep you updated ongoing through this website with news articles, photos and videos. We'll also keep you informed ánd entertained through our Twitter account and via Facebook. On Flickr, our team will be posting backstage pictures taken with mobile phones every day! No matter if you are here in Oslo, or anywhere else in the world, we are inviting you to Share The Moment with us, and to post your comments and pictures on the web!