Terje Isungset


Terje Isungset is a Norwegian musician and composer. From his background in jazz and traditional Scandinavian music, he has designed musical instruments from non-traditional materials, including ice.

Career

Isungset was raised in Geilo where he played traditional dance music with his father during his high school days. Moving to Bergen in 1984 led him to be a popular member of a number of Bergen groups, such as Ictus and Tordenskjolds soldater, Growl and Gruv, Saksbehandlerne and Night and Day, Salsa Pati, and Supply, in addition to periods within the Big Band Emanon from 1986, and his recording debut Amalgamation with Kenneth Sivertsen.
Isungset is, after more than two decades on the jazz scene, one of Europe's most accomplished and innovative percussionists. With more than 25 years experience in jazz and Scandinavian traditional music he raises these narrow forms of music far beyond their traditional boundaries, becoming more like a crossover between a sound artist and a shaman. When crafting his own instruments from Norwegian natural elements such as arctic birch, granite, slate, sheep bells and even ice, he is highly recommended to those sensible to the poetry and simplicity of sounds.
His work is highly acclaimed in the press, often described as innovative, visual, energetic, and different from any previously known concepts. His love for ice music was raised in 1999 when the commission of the winterfestival at Lillehammer asked him to compose and play in a frozen waterfall. He has invented the concept of icemusic, and also invented a way to perform icemusic indoor in ordinary concert halls, doing around 50 indoor ice concerts every year. CNN calls Isungset the first and only icemusician in the world.
Isungset has been commissioned to compose music for jazz festivals, dance performances, theatre, and film, with 41 commissioned concerts.
He has released ten solo albums and is now doing most of his work internationally. Solo concerts, with his band or in collaboration with other artists. In 2006 he had the idea of creating an icemusic festival and started the Ice Music Festival at Geilo, Norway organized by Pål Knutsson Medhus. He is also the founding manager of the record label All Ice Records.
His most recent project is the Glassmusic together with Arve Henriksen. They released an album named World of Glass in late 2014. The recordings were largely made in front of a live audience in Tallinn. All the instruments were made from glass by students from the Estonian Academy of Arts.
He is a member of the bandsGroupa, Utla and Isglem. He has ongoing duos with Per Jørgensen, Arve Henriksen, Sissel Vera Pettersen, Didier Petit, Therese Skauge, Jorma Tapio and Stian Westerhus.
For the 2017 Vossajazz festival, Isungset was commissioned to compose new music for a new band.
Isungset is also an associate professor at the Grieg Academy, University of Bergen.

Honors

Solo albums

;Compilations
;With Kenneth Sivertsen
;Within Karl Seglem's Sogn-A-Song
;Within Isglem
;Within Orleysa, fest. Tore Brunborg
;Within Utla
;Within Groupa
;With other projects
Compositions by Terje Isungset:
Floating Rhythms Molde International Jazzfestival 10 musicians & 2 dancers 1999
Ein neger på Nes stasjon TV2 - Norway. Documentary film. Arve Henriksen & T.Isungset 1999
Under is Vinterspillene Lillehammer Performed in a frozenwaterfall. 17 musicians & dancers. 2000
Nature and Technology EXPO2000Hannover.Germany.Opening concert. World Exhibition. Composed by Reidar Skår & T Isungset. 7 musicians. 2000
Tre European Culture City Bergen. Nattjazz. 6 musicians, men's choir & 3 dancers. 2000
Kela 2000 European CultureCities. Reykjavik,Helsinki,Bergen Modern dance company by Reio Kela 2000
Livets virkelige risiko Det Norske Teater-Oslo. Contemporary dance by Hege Tvedt 2001
Ingen veit kvar haren hoppar Vossajazz 100 performers. 2002
Midt i mellom blå Festspillene, Bergen 50 years anniversary. 1 symphony orchestra, 1000 children & all church bells of Bergen 2002
Rhythm Doctors Nattjazz/Bajazz Electronics, mouth harp, voices, dancers, skateboarders, BMX, scratch, rap, break dancers, baseballs, pyro etc. 2002
Olje Håkonshallen-Bergen. Statoil 30 years Based on sounds from worlds biggest Oil Rig.. 2002
Nett No Det Norske Teater-Oslo. Modern dance/ballet by Kjersti Alveberg 2002
Iceman is Autunnale festivalen-Bergen Icemusic on tape. 2002
Dumme Konger og grimme Troll Den Nasjonale Scene-Bergen Music for Theatre 2002
Stemningar Odda Culture House 50 years annirversay.90 musicians age 3 till 75 years. 2003
Skogsklang Lørenskog Sommerfestival Performed in the forest.30 kids & dancers. 2003
Jotne Sunndal Kulturfestival Performed inside a mountain. In a power station. 2003
Vox Nattjazz-Bergen. 8 singers and band 2004
Emperors new clothes Old Bristol Vic Theatre-England Music for Theatre 2004
Isens livsløp Swedish TV1 Documentary film of the Ice Hotel – Sweden 2004
Rhythm keepers Vinterfestuka Narvik Performed with an electric band in a locomotive station. 2005
Vardø Vardø/Finnmark 1000 Years. Choir, singer & band. Outdoors concert. 2005
Fly Moers Jazzfestival -Germany Opening Concert. Based on bird sounds in surround system. Electronics, singers, dancers,100 flute players, video& helicopter. 2006
4 Moods Brass Wind Festival - Norway A piece for Mouth Harp & Brass Band. 2006
Global Ice Opening of World Environments Day. Icehorn, Voice, Water and Ice sounds on CD. 2007
OI OI Festspillene Bergen. Making food while playing on the food. 2007
Varm is Bergen Domkirke Percussion, Ice on CD, dance. 2007
Tider Church Jubile Choir, Piano & Percussion 2007
Mellom fjell For the Osa Festival. Strings, voices, trumpet, bass, drums. 2007
Motorsagmassasjen Festspillene I Bergen Chain saw, Circular saw, hand saw, axe, hardanger fiddle, mouth harp & voice. 2008
Fossekall Concert in a waterfall in Hardanger. Chello, hardanger fiddle, trumpet, voice, drums, mouth harp & dancer.. 2008
Norwegian Wood Opening of conference. Performing on tools. 2008
Cinderella The Lyric Theatre – London –England. Composer & artistic director. 2008
Runde Opening of Runde environments center - Norway. Recordings of the sea & the birds at Runde + rams horn & mouth harp 2009
Water Festspillene I Bergen Sub Marines, sounds of Whales, Singers under water and band "2009
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Winter Bright Night at Opera North, Leeds-England. Icemusic made in surround 2009
Stork Segni d'Infanzia festival – Italy. Recordings of birds, glass and percussion in surround system 2010
Ladegården 150. Ladegården, Bergen – 150 years. Sounds of children, water,ice, mouth harp and rams horns. 2011
Karsikko Flow Productions – Finland. Contemporary dance company. Rams horn, mouth harp,drums,percussion & voice – all made in a surround system. 2011
Is-slottet The Norwegian National Ballet Violin, voices, percussion, ice,piano. 2012
Fedrelandet Documentary film TV 2 Arve Henriksen & Terje Isungset 2012
Bodypods: “Fingers” Podcast for The Guardian, Timeout and Fuel Theatre. Isungset using his fingers in cooperation with scientist. 2012
Moon Meditations Comissed concert for Icemusicfestival-Geilo. 6 icehorns, icelur, icetrumpet, iceharp, ice cello, ice percussion, icedrums, voices and surround sound system. 2014
Meditations CD with recordings from the South Pole, North Pole, Greenland, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Norway and glaciers in Europe. Icehorns, icepercussion, iceofone, trumpet, bass, voice, viola & electronics in cooperation with Reidar Skår. 2015

World of Glass Tallinn 2011 Capital of Culture. Glass instruments and music composed by Arve Henriksen & Terje Isungset. 2015
Sildrande Vossajazz 2017.