Pianist Knut Erik Jensen touring the US with “Nordic Elegance”
Knut Erik Jensen
Norwegian pianist Knut Erik Jensen is touring the US playing music by Norwegian composers from the past two centuries. He will play in California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida in the period February 6 – March 22 2009.
It has now been two years since Knut Erik made his debut in the US with his Grieg program “His Life and Music”. In February and March he will visit the US again with his new program “Nordic Elegance”, presenting works by the Norwegian composers Geir Tveitt, Harald Sæverud, David Monrad Johansen and Edvard Grieg. These composers played an active part in bringing forth and preserving the traditional Norwegian folk music by unifying the past traditions and the present classical music. Jensen combines the musical performance with information about the music and its meaning, providing the audience with a deeper understanding of the compositions and their historical context.
Knut Erik was born in the small town of Hell the 6th of March 1981. His musical interest was obvious from the very beginning. Already from he could sit upright, he loved to sit at his mother´s electric organ and make sounds. He started studying music in more organized ways in 1988 at the age of 7. His first instrument was the accordion and he was taught in different styles of music.
Jensen has a rich background from various styles and instruments, but his main focus has been the accordion. He is a much sought after accompanist, especially for singers and opera. In 2007, he toured the US and Canada where he played around 40 concerts for Scandinavian communities. This included performances at the Norsk Høstfest in Minot, where he also performed the Grieg A minor concerto with the Minot Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded two CDs with Norwegian piano music: “Edvard Grieg – Anniversary Collection” and “Nordic Elegance”, which presents Norwegian piano music after Grieg.
Source: Norway.org / Knuterikjensen.com.
NEW! Follow along with Knut Erik Jensen on his U.S. tour at nordicelegance.blogspot.com
