Catherine Lamb is composing a new piece for Song Circus, Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker. Cat visited Borealis 2022. Listen to her on the exciting musical world Rational Intonation, a method of creating new tools for music making and composing:
Catherine Lamb explores the interplay between tones, summing of forms and shadows, phenomenological extensions, and the architecture of space between inner and outer worlds, often using elongated introductions.
The collaboration between Tarozzi/Walker and Song Circus previously flourished through their work with French composer Pascale Criton on her microtonal piece Soar. This time, they’ve invited Catherine Lamb (USA) to create a new composition for the ensemble.
Catherine Lamb
Catherine Lamb’s musical journey began early but took a significant turn when she left the conservatory to study Indian classical music in Pune, India. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in music under mentors James Tenney and Michael Pisaro at CalArts in Los Angeles, where she began her deep exploration into the relationship between tones. Since then, she has composed, taught, and collaborated with a wide range of musicians and ensembles, including Ensemble neoN, the London Contemporary Orchestra, Johnny Chang, Marc Sabat, and Rebecca Lane. After completing a Master’s degree in Music and Sound from Bard College’s Milton Avery School of Fine Arts in New York, Catherine relocated to Berlin, where she has established herself as a composer.
Her first orchestral work, Portions Transparent/Opaque, premiered with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Tectonics Festival in Glasgow in 2014. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize in 2020 and the Grants to Artists award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts in 2018. Catherine is also a co-founder of the collective Harmonic Space Orchestra in Berlin. Her music and writings have been published by QO2, Hubro, Black Pollen Press, Sound American, and Sacred Realism.
Discover Rational Intonation Let composer Catherine Lamb guide you through the spaces between tones, and explore the fascinating musical concept of Rational Intonation through this conversation: Borealis Talk: On ‘Rational Intonation’ with Catherine Lamb, RAGE Thormbones & Khyam Allami.
Song Circus ønsker Ingrid Lode og Silje Aker Johnsen velkommen inn i Song Circus-prosjekter fra 2023! To fantastisk dyktige vokalkunstnere vi gleder oss veldig til å jobbe med.
Ingrid Lode har sin master fra jazzlinja i Trondheim, og er en aktiv frilanser, blant annet som fast vokalist i Trondheim Voices. Hun har fordypet seg i flere retninger i sin søken etter en utvidet vokalpalett, blant annet gjennom reiser til India, der hun har tatt sangtimer med Aparna Panshikar.
Silje Aker Johnsen, har en PhD frå Operahøgskolen ved Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo, med prosjektet “En søken etter en utvidet fysisk tolkning av vokal samtidsmusikk og av opera”, og er også utdannet ved Griegakademiet i Bergen, Universität der Künste, Berlin og Norges Musikkhøgskole. Hun er aktiv i mange ulike konstellasjoner, blant i Ensemble neoN.
Endelig er det offisielt! Kortfilmen vår «Fugler» får 375 000 kr i tilskudd fra Norsk Filminstitutt. Tusen takk!
Regi og musikk: Liv Runesdatter
Fotograf: Joakim Hauge Vocke
Editering: Kyrre H. Larsen
Produsent: Von Mørner/Bjarte Mørner Tveit
I dette konsertprosjektet har vi invitert Eivind Buene til å komponere ny musikk for Song Circus og gambe, med utgangspunkt i François Couperins Leçons de Ténebrès for sangstemmer og continuo (1713).
Sjangeren Leçons de ténèbres har røtter tilbake til renessansen, og er knyttet til påskeuken, hvor tre leksjoner ble fremført hver dag på askeondag, skjærtorsdag og langfredag. Kirken badet i skimmeret fra femten talglys; etter hver “leçon” ble lys blåst ut, helt til ‘tenebrae’ eller mørke på Langfredag, når siste talglys ble slukket. Musikken og rammen gir en opplevelse av å bli hensatt i tid og sted.
Flere komponister har skrevet musikk til “Leçons des ténèbres”. Mest kjent er nok Couperin, Charpentier og de Lalande.
Prosjektet utvikles perioden 2022-2023, med planlagt urframføring høsten 2023.
Medvirkende: Eivind Buene (komponist), Andre Lislevand (gambe), Liv Runesdatter, Ingeborg Dalheim, Stine Janvin Joh og Signe Irene Stangborli Time (vokal).
In May, we had the pleasure of visiting the Frequenz Festival in Kiel and the exhibition space of the Berliner Künstlerprogramm with Graatarslagjet
Our Ultima concert was recently reviewed by Simon Cummings on 5against4.com!
«a performance that simply beggared belief, impossible to grasp its intricacies, leaving one simply to surrender to its inscrutable marvels, lost in a reverie of bowed, blown, pitched and aspirated friction.’
‘So complete was this impression that it didn’t remotely feel as if Soar II had actually finished, but was simply continuing on, imperceptibly, into eternity.’
http://5against4.com/2021/10/04/ultima-2021-part-3/
10. september – 3. oktober 2021 utstilles «slow-wave» på Bryne Kunstforening!
For slow-wave, Ananda Serné collaborated with vocal ensemble Song Circus on a 4-channel sound installation. Spread across the room, different voices mimic the sound of water and pronounce water onomatopoeia such as: bloop, splish, splash, sprinkle, drip, drup, drizzle, dryss, drypp and spray. The work refers to soundscapes that aim to improve sleep quality and trigger ASMR (a tingling sensation on the scalp in response to certain sights, sounds, or textures). «Slow-wave sleep» is the deepest phase of non-rapid eye movement sleep.
The colours of the textiles derive from cyanotype, indigo and a blue light-harvesting pigment found in cyanobacteria. The cyanobacteria is the simplest organism currently known to have a day- and night rhythm.
The pieces of glass draw from the work of Daphne Oram, the first woman to design and construct an electronic musical instrument. Her Oramics technique consisted of a musical language of painted waveforms that translated into sound.
Concept: Ananda Serné
Composition: Liv Runesdatter
Vocals: Stine Janvin, Liv Runesdatter and Signe Irene Time
Sound recording: Eirik Bekkeheien
Image credit: Erik Sæter Jørgensen
French Baroque rehearsal in 2021! Liv Runesdatter, Signe Irene Stangborli Time, Ingeborg Dalheim, Stine Janvin Motland
In September, Song Circus performed two new projects. At the Kapittel Festival, we explored the music of Cornelius Cardew, and at the Norwegian Organ Festival, we premiered Sonic Meditations, a collaboration with organist Nils Henrik Asheim and Britt Pernille Frøholm on the Hardanger fiddle.
We delved into an iconic work by one of the most influential postwar composers, Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016), Horse Sings from Cloud.
Throughout more than 50 years of artistic work, Pauline Oliveros established herself as one of the most influential composers of the postwar period. Her electronic music and theories on sound, silence, and listening (‘Deep Listening’) have garnered particular attention. She was an early adopter of unconventional instruments in her electroacoustic experiments. Alongside her work as a performer and composer, she held numerous teaching roles and professorships in academic circles. Oliveros was the founder of the former Deep Listening Institute, now the Center for Deep Listening. Deep Listening means being attentive to all aspects of the world, not just sounds as we typically define them, where sound waves reach the ear. It involves listening to your inner self and everything around you.
I mai og juni, midt i korona-epidemien, gjennomførte Song Circus drøyt 20 konserter ute i naturen, med dette nydelige prosjektet! «Fugler» er en sanselig og fantasifull forestilling utviklet av Liv Runesdatter, i samarbeid med Song Circus fortellerkunstner Marianne Stenerud.
Composers Therese Birkelund Ulvo and Bente Leiknes Thorsen recap their autumn in this podcast episode. It’s an enjoyable listening experience. You’ll hear about Therese’s work on Absence, one of the pieces we performed during the tours with Graatarslagjet. The works in Graatarslagjet are evolving and still in the process of being shaped.
Here is a translation of the text:
Here you can catch a glimpse of moments from this fall’s «Fugler» – a sensory and imaginative performance inspired by the birdlife around us. A collaboration with Song Circus and storyteller Marianne Stenerud.
This year, we will be performing at Oslo Fortellerfestival and Fossekleiva Kultursenter, among others. In collaboration with Stavanger DKS, I am leading a 6-week interdisciplinary art project this spring focused on the theme of birds, in partnership with the staff and students of Storhaug School, dance artist and PhD student Maria Flønes, visual artist Tove Kommedal, Song Circus, and others.
True to tradition, Song Circus has performed quiet improvisation concerts at institutions for addiction care and psychiatry. Each concert is different. I can get completely absorbed in artistic projects and beautiful music, but the human connections this project offers are unique. It’s an experience of touching something far greater than both the music and ourselves.
st circled around the chair in the room. His body and mind were working overtime as he tried to settle in. His leg and foot shook restlessly. The music began, and the minutes passed. Some closed their eyes, some looked at each other, one person held a hand. A little while into the concert, the foot had stilled. The restlessness was gone, at least for a moment.
Here are some moments I’d like to share:
He wasn’t fully present where he sat. His eyes fluttered as he gently rocked to the music. We reached the final song, and for a brief moment, he forgot himself: ‘Oh, if only we were there! If only we were there,’ he mumbled softly before waking up, a bit unsure and embarrassed. The glances and smiles that met him showed that he was among friends who wished him well, who wanted him to enjoy the experience.
‘Come to me every morning, and I promise I’ll quit valium,’ he said with a smile.
He almost circled around the chair in the room. His body and mind were working overtime as he tried to settle in. Once seated, his leg and foot shook restlessly, and I thought it must be exhausting. We began the music, and the minutes passed. Some people closed their eyes, some looked at each other, one person held their therapist’s hand. A little while into the concert, I noticed that his leg and foot had stilled. The restlessness was gone, at least for a moment.
‘Thank you for being here and letting us experience this together. It’s so quiet here, everything moves so slowly, so controlled, and I’m alone so much, but inside, there’s always noise and turmoil. I really needed this. I feel completely calm now. It feels good.’
It’s a beautiful room. I think about how lucky they are to be here and have access to this space. The chaplain has a good relationship with the men, and they feel safe together. It’s different here. And because it’s such a good place to be, this concert becomes something special. A calm concentration fills the room. It feels like we are one body, one breath. The music develops, we singers dare to take risks, and it becomes one of those truly special musical performances. When it’s over, we’re left with the feeling of having been part of something extraordinary. And gratitude. Afterwards, we’re invited to join a research project. They want to collaborate with us over time.
‘He almo
After a course in music criticism, students from Langhaugen High School attended the concert featuring Song Circus and Britt Pernille Frøholm at USF Verftet in Bergen on November 4th. Afterwards, they wrote reviews of the concert, which was part of this year’s nyMusikk tour.
The course was developed by critics Ida Habbestad and Hild Borchgrevink, who have extensive experience as reviewers in Aftenposten and Dagsavisen, and as editors in Ballade and Scenekunst, respectively.
“When the singers start singing, they are met with wide eyes from the audience. This is unlike anything else I have ever heard. The sounds they make are impressive and can evoke many different associations: a forest with birds, maybe cuckoos, sizzling water, like in an iron, dogs, crying, and stones skipping across water.
Contrasts make the atmosphere exciting, and they can be found both between the different parts of the music and between the voices. For example, in volume, when it is smooth versus rough or bouncing versus gliding. The contrasts in the pieces complement each other, and although there is a lot of repetition and imitation, it does not become boring to listen to, because the structure is so varied.”
— Tiril Totland, 2mm, Langhaugen High School
The vocal ensemble Song Circus and fiddler Britt Pernille Frøholm present a rich concert, inspired by the fiddle tune Graatarslagjet. Through melancholic fiddle playing and impressive vocal performances, the ensemble delivers a concert that gives you chills — but not necessarily in a comforting way.
It all begins with improvisation on the fiddle, where Frøholm guides us into the special journey through different sounds that we are about to experience. You can imagine snowflakes drifting in the air when Frøholm plays with icy precision. Although the tones may feel uncomfortable, I also experience something playful and melancholic, setting the mood for the rest of the concert.
Song Circus then performs various compositions based on the Fuglestad Brothers’ rendition of the fiddle tune. The vocal ensemble impresses with incredible sounds. We hear everything from animal-like breathing and hissing to crying and coughing. Nevertheless, the music is melodic, though in an experimental and unusual form. The performance shows that the piece is made for very skilled musicians, which I believe Song Circus certainly is. It is likely an advantage to be an audience member with a tolerant and receptive ear, as this type of music might not be for everyone.
More instruments are gradually added to the concert, and new pieces are presented. A small portable organ, also called a shruti box, helps create a more comfortable atmosphere, enhancing the mood in the fiddle tune’s story. Frøholm’s fiddling is perhaps the most important mood-setter, as it serves as its own, weeping voice. The instruments and musicians’ voices blend into each other, in a delicate balance between the tragic and the beautiful. It is the harmony of the organ, fiddle, and voices that creates the concert’s highlight.”
— Ingeborg Nygaard, 2mm, Langhaugen High School
Jippi! Our bird festival starts in one week!
It is the first collaboration between Song Circus, Stavanger Kitchen Orchestra and Ogna Scene. Saturday is most suitable for youth and adults, while Sunday is The Children’s Birdfestival. Have a listen to Song Circus´ bird univers!
Meet Song Circus and listen to the interview with Liv Runesdatter and Britt Pernille Frøholm at NRK «Spillerom».
About the story behind «Graatarslagjet» and the composers’ approach when they developed new works based on the fiddle tune and legend. Music from this year’s Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival.
Kitchen Orchestra, Song Circus & Ogna Scene present Bird Festival at Ogna, November 23-24!
For the first time, Stavanger’s two professional contemporary music ensembles are collaborating to curate a festival. Two full days of music, art, and cultural experiences inspired by birdlife!
Saturday is best suited for youth and adults, while Sunday is the children’s bird festival day.
PROGRAM SATURDAY:
PROGRAM SUNDAY:
14:30-15:10: Family performance «Birds» with Song Circus, storyteller Marianne Stenerud, and percussionist Odd Børge Sagland
12:15-12:45: A bird has laid golf eggs in nature, and we need to help Hans find them. Everyone who finds one wins!
12:45-13:15: Ornithologist Øyvind Gjerde is obsessed with crows! At the Bird Festival, he shares incredible stories about the birds of Jæren.
13:15-14:00: Ogna Scene’s own Hans sells pizza.
14:00-14:30: Experience Kathy Hinde’s installation Chirp & Drift (more info below)
5 av 5 stjerner i http://www.chaindlk.com:
“What you will actually hear here subtly takes sound beyond the confines and preconceived notions of what you’ve ever experienced before.”
“The best way of describing “Landscape” is an aural dreamworld that sometimes mixes natural ambient with snippets of other-worldly elements, and also whispers. Vocally, the composition ranges from onomatpoetic utterings to seductive, siren-like glissandoes.”
…..
“I readily admit that most of my interest in avant-garde modern music stemmed from an earlier time when I was ever so curious about music that did not conform to convention and transcended traditional form. ‘Anatomy of Sound’ however has rekindled a spark for this kind of thing, being some of the best “new music” I’ve heard in a long, long while.”
Graataralagjet, which Song Circus and I have been working on for a long time, premiered at the Ultima Festival.
Kulturkirken Jakob was the perfect venue, and Tove Kommedal’s installation artwork was expressive and enhanced the experience. Nils Henrik Asheim’s and Therese Birkelund Ulvo’s compositions have given us music that we will perform many times and that will continue to live on with us. In November, we will premiere the final piece in the Graataralagjet trilogy, Stones by Tyler Futrell, another beautiful work.
A huge thank you to Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen and the Ultima team. You have been professional to the fingertips!
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Song Circus is a Norwegian chamber ensemble of professional and improvising singers. The ensemble is specializing in the interpretation of contemporary music.
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SONG CIRCUS PERFORMING GRAATARSLAGJET
SONG CIRCUS & FRØHOLM performing ABSENCE (2019) by composer THERESE BIRKELUND ULVO at ULTIMA Oslo Contemporary Music Festival. Interactive installation by TOVE KOMMEDAL. Commissioned by Song Circus. First Premiere 2019.
Grateful What a lovely review!
«One of the most beautiful works I heard took place at Kulturkirken Jakob in an afternoon concert given by the outstanding vocal quartet Song Circus (who had been so impressive at this year’s Only Connect festival).»
….
«– the work, including hardanger fiddle performed by Britt Pernille Frøholm, was breathtakingly immediate, creating drama from the most microscopic of sounds and gestures. Soft, close singing was interspersed with articulated breaths and a plethora of tiny vocal tics and twitches, many of which seemed almost involuntary. Although its language was, from one perspective, a broken-up network of minutiae strung together into a loose-woven tapestry, there was at the same time a sense that everything we were hearing had actually begun life as a changeless, eternal drone, which was being modulated and disrupted by the quartet’s vocal actions. At one extreme, Ulvo practically destroyed the fabric of the music later on via an outbreak of stubbornly persistent coughs, while at the other extreme, she united the singers into small concentrations that vaguely resembled chant. Though it was in its own way just as wildly experimental as the rest of the music during the opening weekend at Ultima 2019, Absence had a focus, an intensity and above all an elegance that set it apart.»
