Åse Hedstrøm facts for kids

Åse Hedstrøm (born April 17, 1950, in Moss) is a talented Norwegian composer who writes modern music. She has created many musical pieces and has also played a big role in organizing music events and groups in Norway and Sweden.

Åse Hedstrøm's Life and Music Journey

Åse Hedstrøm studied music at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht, which is in the Netherlands. She also learned how to compose music at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. Later, she continued her studies in Stockholm, Sweden, with a composer named Sven-David Sandström.

After finishing her studies, Åse Hedstrøm received a special grant from the government in 1987. This allowed her to work full-time on composing music. She won awards for her music, like the Norwegian Society of Composers' Work of the Year award. She won it for her chamber music piece Right After in 1985 and for her string quartet Sorti in 1989.

Besides composing, Åse Hedstrøm has been very active in helping to organize the music scene in Norway. In 1978, she became the director for NyMusikk, which is the Norwegian part of an international music group. From 1983 to 1987, she helped coordinate music at the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, an art center. This led to many modern music concerts and festivals there.

From 1994 to 1998, Åse Hedstrøm was the director and artistic leader for the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival. This is a big festival for new music. From 1999 to 2002, she was the director of the Stockholm Concert Hall and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in Sweden. She has also been a member of many important music boards and committees. For example, she was the chairwoman of the board for MIC Music Information Centre Norway. She also led the board of the collecting society TONO from 2009 to 2011. From 2012 to 2016, she was the chair of the board for the Norwegian Society of Composers.

Åse Hedstrøm is also a member of Sweden’s Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien, which is a royal academy for music.

Åse Hedstrøm's Musical Creations

Åse Hedstrøm has composed many different types of musical pieces. Here are some of her selected works:

Selected Musical Works

• Faser for orchestra (1979/80)
• Through for mezzo-soprano, trombone, percussion, and tape (1983)
• Chain for piano solo (1983)
• Anima for orchestra (1983/84)
• Right after for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (1984/85)
• Nenia for orchestra (1985/86)
• Grata for flute, violin, viola, cello, harp, and piano (1986)
• Sorti for string quartet (1987)
• Saisir for chamber orchestra (1987/88)
• Signs and pictures for piano solo (1989)
• Sug for percussion quartet and symphonic wind orchestra (1989/90)
• Flow for marimba solo (1990)
• Bewegt for sinfonietta (1990)
• Voci for sinfonietta (1991)
• Flores for piano and string orchestra (1992)
• Cantos for orchestra (1993)
• …e quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle for orchestra (1994)
• Touche for double bass solo (1996)
• Favola for orchestra (1997)
• Terra for sinfonietta (1998)
• In memoriam for recorder solo (2004)
• Vsprs for violin, viola, and cello (2007)
• In Solitude', for Company for violin solo (2008)
• Runner’s Blues for symphonic wind ensemble (2012)
• Imprint for viola bastarda (2016)

Recordings of Her Music

Many of Åse Hedstrøm's works have been recorded and released on albums. Here are some of the recordings that feature her music:

• Elisabeth Klein, Mysterious Mountains, Norwegian Piano Music, Works by Bakke, Fongaard, Strømholm, Hedstrøm, Haug, Slettholm, Mortensen, Maj Sønstevold. This album includes her work: Chain (1983).
• Cikada, Plays: Wallin, Hedstrøm, Ore, Persen. This album features her work: Sorti (1987).
• Oslo Sinfonietta, Christian Eggen, Plays: Berge, Thommessen, Wallin, Hedstrøm, Nordheim. This album includes her work: Saisir (1988).
• Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen, Open percussion , Works by Xenakis, Cage, Hedstrøm, Donatoni, Wallin, Kjos Sørensen. This album features her work: Flow (1990).
• Bjørn Ianke - The Contemporary Solo Double Bass, vol. 3, Works by Nordheim, Hedstrøm, Xenakis, Hellstenius. This album includes her work: Touche (1996).
• Åse Hedstrøm Flow, Oslo Sinfonietta / Christian Eggen, conductor/Håkon Austbø, piano/Tomas Nilsson, marimba - This album features several of her works: Saisir (1988) for sinfonietta, Chain (1983) for piano, Flores (1992) for piano and string orchestra, Voci (1991) for sinfonietta, Flow (1990) for marimba, Bewegt (1990) for sinfonietta (1998).
• BIT20 Ensemble, Nordic music for Chamber Orchestra, Works by Sørensen, Hauksson, Hedstrøm, Mossenmark, Heininen, Tanaka. This album includes her work: Terra (1998).