Runesdatter, Liv

Liv Runesdatter lives in Stavanger, a small town in western Norway. She is a critically acclaimed Norwegian singer, composer and producer. Her trademark is a personal and creative sound, rich with contrasts, textures, expressions and dynamics. Her musical roots lie in classical music, improvisational music and in traditional world music.

The Norwegian folk tunes are inseparable from Norwegian roots, tradition and thought. Liv Runedatters songs are embellished with life stories and tales, coloured by material from her own musical universe, and inspired from hoarse voices on creaky old recordings, nature, squeaking audiotape players, rooms, shapes, smells, sounds and people. The Norwegian traditional roots are evident, though impulses from other places and traditions can be traced.

Her cd "Syng hjerte" (Eng. Sing my heart) was released in 2008/ 2009 by GRAPPA Music Group, the leading independent record company in Norway. The album has received outstanding reviews in international newspapers, magazines and radio shows. The Norwegian Broadcast journalist Kjetil Bjørgan proclaimes it to be an important music project, challenging the Norwegian traditional music field, both through Runesdatter´s voice performance and the catchy and untraditional musical choices. The magazine "Folk World" selected "Syng hjerte" for their list of Best International Albums 2009.

She has worked with dancers, film makers, musicians, researchers, architects and visual artists from more than 25 countries, and performed her music on festivals and concert halls in Europe, USA and Canada. She has achieved several awards for her work, and grants such as The National Governmental Work Grant (2007/ 2008).

Among great artists and producers she has worked with are Stian Carstensen (NO), Charles Lloyd (USA), David Moss (USA/Berlin), Trevor Wishart (UK), Jaap Blonk (NL), Amadou Sarr (Gambia, Simon/Graceland), Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (NO), Alim Qasimov ensemble (Azerbaijan), Alfred Janson (NO), Elshan Mansurov and Ehtiram Huseinov (Azerbaijan), Abdulrahman Surizehi (Balouchistan), Jair Cardoso (Brazil), Mansur Rajih (Jemen/NO), Hanna Savolainen (FIN), Torben Snekkestad (DK/NO), Chistian Wolff (USA), Trygve Seim (NO), Lelo Nika (Serbia), Cirque de Soleil (CA), Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Kathedral Ensemble, King Knut (UK/NO), Nils Henrik Asheim (NO) and many more.