What’s on?

In spring 2017, Thomas Strønen and his ensemble Time is A blind Guide
recorded their 2nd. album “Lucus” at the marvelous Radio Auditorium RSI in
Lugano with ECM master Manfred Eicher. The result? – A true master work!
Very special “Lucus” was released by ECM in January 2018 to standing ovations.

Time is a blind guide:
Thomas Strønen – drums/compositions
Ayumi Tanaka – piano
Håkon Aase – violin
Leo Svensson Sander – cello
Ole Morten Vågan – bass

Thomas Strønen’s Time is a blind guide is a true chamber music ensemble with
a strong group sound performing compelling compositions. It draws lines from
traditional folk music to contemporary music, performed some of Europe finest
jazz musicians.
The quintet combines three elements important to Strønens writing; A
stringtrio, a piano trio and sometimes a percussion ensemble. TIAbG fulfill the
delicate balance between challenging and captivate the audience with textures,
sounds and beautiful melodies.

“Time Is A Blind Guide is, quite simply, a stunning record that stands out in
Strønen’s already impressive discography as one of his most expansive,
cinematic and flat-out lyrical albums to date. An album so compelling that it
truly deserves the term masterpiece, in a time when the word “classic” is
bantered about far too often, it also creates hope that there will be more Time
Is A Blind Guide compositions to come from Strønen’s pen…and from this
nimble group, clearly responsive and connected to his music at the deepest,
mitochondrial level.”
5/5 stars (John Kelman / all about jazz)

>>> Sjå video på YouTube

YrrY:
Mari Galambos Grue – vocals
Håkon Skjæret – percussion
Owen Weaver – percussion

Exploring what can be done with one big drum and one big voice the composers of the 2019 Borealis Ung Komponist mentor programme present four new works for the trio YrrY. This latest edition of the programme to breathe disruptive life in to grassroots new-music making in the West of Norway has invited four internationally renowned mentors, to work with a hand-picked quartet of emerging composers to explore new ways of working.

Since summer 2019 a new crop of composers, Eva Pfitzenmaier, Steinar Yggeseth, Aslak Bjørge Hermstad and Hilde Annine Hasselberg, have been working with mentors Carmina Escobar, Elaine Mitchener, Therese B. Ulvo and Øyvind Torvund, from Mexico, the UK and Norway. As well as mentorship the programme also makes space for the composers to spend development time with the musicians of YrrY – Mari Galambos Grue, Håkon Skjæret and Owen Weaver – to develop stronger working relationships between composers and performers.

Inspired by the legacy of the late Bergen based composer Morten Eide Pedersen, Borealis Ung Komponist is a year long project bringing together different musical expressions, discussion, collaboration, and mentoring, all leading towards the creation of new work for performance.

In collaboration with Borealis festival for experimental music