Biography
The harp meets the people
Right from playing her first tones at the harp, as a 9-year-old Trondheim girl, Sidsel had her clear goal: She was going to become a harpist! – And her dream came true!
After studies in Oslo, Indiana, and Copenhagen, she has lived out her dream as a sought-after musician, both as a soloist with her own projects and as a chamber musician. She is also a solo harpist in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, which she previously did in the Norwegian Opera Orchestra as well.
One of the most exciting things about Sidsel is her ability to cross genre and break the boundaries of what harp music can be. With her electric harps, she has become a pioneer in exploring new musical landscapes, where fuzz and funky rhythms are is big contrasts of the more traditional acoustic harp. Her musical versatility has led to collaborations with musicians and artists as: Stian Carstensen, Stig Brenner, Ibou Cissokho, Karpe, Ne-Yo, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Silje Nergaard, Solveig Kringlebotn, Secret Garden, Helene Bøksle and many more. She has been on several tours in her home country Norway, abroad and has been invited to many festivals.
In autumn 2018, her the album “sidsel” was released, an album with focus on the electric harp. Together with Arild Torvik and Marcus Lewin on drums and electronics, she has made instrumental pop music with the electric harp in the lead role. It created great interest in the media and not least among the audience. Sidsel played a sold-out release concert at Belleville, Cosmopolite in Oslo.
Another unique project Sidsel has been involved in is the collaboration with the “ice musician” Terje Isungset. On Terje´s initiative, Sidsel was involved in the development of various ice harps. They have played together all around the world, for example: inside a glacier in Italy, on the mountain tops around Geilo, Ål and in Washington in the USA!
Sidsel is quite simply a harpist completely out of the ordinary. An artist who surprises and enchants his audience.
C.V.
Sidsel Walstad
Born: 05.09.72
Telephone: +47 908 80 375
Adress: Fossveien 10a 0551, Oslo
Appointments:
- 2004 – solo harpist in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
- 2003-2004: state artist grant, for younger/newly established artists
- 2000-2003: solo harpist in the Norwegian Opera and Ballet
- 1999: state artist grant, for younger/newly established artists
- 1997 – 2000: freelance musician
Education/teachers:
Willy Postma, Sonja Gislinge, S. McDonald
- 1991-1995 Norwegian Academy of Music, bachelor’s degree
- 1995-1996 Indiana University, USA, Performer Diploma
- 1995-1997 The Royal Danish’s Conservatory of Music, Soloist class
Year 2023:
- Glogerfestpill (festival artist)
- Concerts with Stian Carstensen: Musical Sanatorium
- Winter festival in Flammen (festival artist)
- Recording with Domkoret, Vivianne Sydnes conductor
- Audiobook Mieko Danser (M Miyata-Jancey)
- Terje Isungset Quartet; concerts in WDC, USA (Isharpe)
- Oslo Chamber Music Festival
- Instructor at the Norwegian Youth Symphony Orchestra
Highlights 2016-2022:
- Trondheim Kamfest (festival artist)
- Stian Carstensen Musical Sanatorium, (tours and albums)
- Ice Music festival (festival artist)
- Stig Brenner (Oslo Spektrum)
- Nordlandsmusikkfestuke (festival artist)
- Guest in podcast: “Artists meet artists” Oslo Global Music
- Winter festival in Bergstaden (festival artist)
- The Music Festival in Elverum (festival artist)
- Risør Chamber Music Festival (festival artist)
- Hankø Festival (festival actor)
- Silje Nergaard album “Houses”
- Pauline Voss’ single “Stille”
- CD recording with KORK, with Ginastera harp concerto
- Collaboration with Oslo Domkor and Vivianne Sydnes
- The Norwegian Youth Symphony Orchestra: Harp instructor
- Harp teacher at Toneheim Folkehøgskole and Firda vgs
- CD recording of album “sidsel” and release concert with Sidsel trio, (electronic instrumental pop music for electric harp)
- Soloist with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, 70th anniversary concert in University Aula, Oslo. Conductor: Miguel Harth-Bedoya, (Ginastera harp concerto).
- Many other solo assignments in different arrangements
CD releases:
- Ginastera harp concert with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (LAWO) 2019
- Sidsel – solo album for electric harps/trio. (Sidsel Music) 2018
- Deilig er jorden – Christmas album (Sony BMG) 2009
- Dance of the elves – with Cecilie Løken, flute – 2002 (Magic Flute)
– other recordings, see www.sidsel.no/discografi/
Soloist with:
KORK, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, MiN Ensemble, Bodø Sinfonietta, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Trondheim Soloists, Murmansk Symphony Orchestra and more. Other solo concerts in the USA, Switzerland, France, Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Greenland, South Africa, and Scandinavia. Debut concerts in Oslo and Copenhagen in 1997.
Instructor
at the Norwegian Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2017.
Festivals:
Glogerfestspill, Winterfestival i Flammen, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Trondheim Chamber Music Festival, Risør Chamber Music Festival, Nordland Music Festival Week, Hankø Festival, Winter Festival at Røros, FiE, Vossajazz, Molde Jazz Festival, Ice Music Festival Ål, Geilo and Val Senales, Italy, Church Festival in Kristiansand, Oi-oi Festival in Bergen, Music festival in Bergen, Sevillia Turina Chamber Music Festival, Musik vid Dellen (Sweden), Nordic Summer Nights, Olavfest days etc.
Scholarships, grants and awards:
Fond for lyd og bilde:
- Concert grant 2018
Fond for Utøvende:
- Fonogram 2017
- Project Music grant 2016
- Travelt grant 2016
Statens kunstnerstipend:
- Diverse grant 2011
- Rolf Gammleng award (2006)
- Grant for younger, newly established artists (1999 and 2003-2004)
- Fulbright Foundation (1995-96)
- The Norway-America Association (1995-96)
- KORKs Venneforening’s scholarship (2022, 2016).
- Norwegian Composer Fund commissioned work by Sindre Hotvedt (2009)
- Norwegian Composers Fund commissioned work by Ingrid Kindem (2002)
- Commissioned work by Wolfgang Plagge Nocturne for solo harp (1995)
- Collaboration with artists: Stig Brenner, Karpe, Terje Isungset, Solveig Kringlebotn, Cecilie Løken, Wolfgang Plagge, Catharina Cheng, Stian Carstensen, Mathias Eick, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Odd Børrezten, Maria Haukaas Mittet, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Anita Skorgan, Magnet, Helene Bøksle, Reidun Sæther, Secret Garden, Silje Nergaard, Odd Nordstoga, and many more.
Tours for National Concerts organization:
- “First date” with KORK
- Solveig’s songs
- Come rain come sun,
- Flirt with harp strings,
- Tick, thank you Tia kjem,
- Upbeat tour in the Baltics and Scandinavia Tour from the Rikskonsertene’s debutantes.
- New music ensembles: ONE, Bit-20, Oslo Sinfonietta, Ensemble Ernst.