A jam session on old instruments from Bhutan 1997
Annbjørg hosting the Norwegian Grammy 2000 - Photo: Vidar Ruud
Annbjørg Lien Official Homepage http:
//home.online.no/~brasch/alien/index2.htm
Annbjørg Lien - Loke
2005
Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole are in studio in June,
writing and recording
music for the play EMMA.
Premiere 16th of July in Fjæreheia in
Grimstad.
Annbjørg is invited to be represented
on a exhibition called "Nordmenn
og svensker 1814-2005.
This is a part of the celebration of Norway 100
years. Annbjørg is selected to represent a "typical norwegian".
Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole is now in studio writing
and recording music for a finish movie called Valo.
The premiere will be 7th of October in Finland.
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VALO is a joyful and touching adventure film for 7-12 years old.
The film tells a Dickens-like story of VALO,
the talented 9-year-old VALO and a son of a chimney-sweep,
who through the chimneys brings hope of a better future
to the children living amidst poverty and misery.
In the small village of Viiritsa, begins a children’s
own school based on the self-directedness of children,
children as teachers. The story is set in early 1900’s
and it is based on true events.
The film interprets freely the diaries
written by Aleksanteri Ahola-Valo (1900-1997) in his childhood. The Finnish
-Ingrian Ahola-Valo was a significant education philosopher
and a painter who lived a colourful life in Russia, Finland and Sweden.
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"This film is a one comment of an important issue:
children’s right to go to school. Education is a key to improve the quality of life and living standards of children." (UNICEF)
It will be released in cinemas and television in Finland, Norway and Sweden.
In June, Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole will go in studio writing
and recording music for a play called EMMA.
The premiere will take place on an outdoor stage in Grimstad the 16th of July.
Annbjørg is asked to be a member of a jury in a folk music project run
by Rikskonsertene in Norway called Introfolk.
The idea is to build up new interest for folk music and help young musicians
to start a career in folk music. The concerts will take place
in all the folk music festivals in Norway this summer.
The String Sisters tour in Norway is over and it was fantastic!
We made a live CD and live DVD which will be released this autumn 2005 at Grappa Records in Norway.
A very good friend and a strong artist died this winter, Erik Bye.
I was honored to be asked to work with him for many years on concerts.
Before he died, we finished his album "Støv og stjerner" together with fluteplayer Hans Fredrik Jacobsen
and pianist Henning Sommero. We have also lately worked with the music for a movie about Erik Bye,
that will be finished this year 2005. We miss him very much...
December 2004
Annbjørg recieved a special prize from "Fond for utøvende kunstnere"
called Gammleng prisen 2004. This is a prize of honour for quality work at the recordings of her albums.
October 2004
The Tour with String Sisters in Norway is ready! See Schedule for 2005.
The group is: Mairead ni' Mhaonaigh, Emma Hardelin,
Catriona Macdonald, Liz Carroll, Liz Knowles, Annbjørg Lien.
The band: James Mackintosh, Conrad Ivitsky, David Milligan, Tore Bruvoll.
September 2003
Bjørn Ole Rasch together with Annbjørg have been asked to write music for
a new musical play called "Emma" commisioned by Agder Teater.
The playwrite is Sven Henriksen. It's premiere will take place in
"Fjæreheia", a spectacular theatrical location near Grimstad, Norway.
February 2003
The Bukken Bruse tour together with indian players Trilok Gurtu,
Ravindra Chari and Milind Sheorey is finished.
It was a great musical journey through Norwegian contemperary folk music to
Trilok Gurtu`s own compositions. You can read a review here
February 2003
Bukkene Bruses releases their latest CD today (February 10th).
The CD is called "Spel" and is released on the Grappa Records Label.
August 2003
Today (August 16th) Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole Rasch became
the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy.
March 2003
Annbjørg is nominated for a Norwegian Grammy for the album "Aliens Alive" !
March 2003
The Spain tour is almost ready, and Annbjørg is looking forward to meet her Spanish fans!
See tourlist for details.
November 2002
December 13th there will be a live concert with Bukkene Bruse on NRK2 (National TV).
This is the material from their X-mas tour in a beautiful old church in Norway.
October 2002
There are plans for a tour in Spain with the Baba Yaga ensemble in March 2003.
Today (October 10th) at the Bi-Z Gallery in Kristiansand BO and
Annbjørg attended the vernissage of an art project called 40,
for which they also composed the music. The project included prints from five different artists
( Per Fronth, Nico Widerberg, Magne Furholmen, Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl),
a book about the project partly written by chef Trond Moi, a CD with music written & performed by
BO and Annbjørg and a very special caraffel of Larsen's Cognac.
August 2002
Annbjørg is this autumn in studio writing music together with
Bjørn Ole Rasch for a Gallery Bi-Z (An art gallery located in Kristiansand, Norway) art project.
The music is inspired by the paintings of 5 painters; Ørnulf Opdahl,
Per Front, Nico Wideberg, Magne Furuholmen and Kjell Nupen
- all of them from Norway. The project also involves the master cook Trond Moi and writer Ingvar Moi.
The release of this special project will happen in Kristiansand on the 10th of October.
March 2002
Read interview with Annbjørg about her new album
"Aliens Alive" at the magazine Ballade.
Annbjørg has released her new live-album
"Aliens Alive" at Grappa Records in Norway this week.
It has already got superb critics.
January 2002
Bukkene Bruse has been nominated for a Norwegian Grammy Award
for the album "Den Fagraste Rosa".
Annbjørg and her band had a fantastic week in northern Italy last year,
and she got the festival prize for the warmest smile.
The prize was a beautiful jewel made by a local artist.
Here are some memos from filming with NRK (Norwegian National Television)
in Jølster, Annbjørgs grandparents home place. They made a program about her roots.
Annbjørg had a fantastic time teaching at the summer school
Valley of the Moon outside San Fransisco last year.
Here is a memo from the final concert with all the teachers and students.
Bukkene Bruse has now released a Christmas album called
"Den Fagraste Rosa" in Norway at Grappa records.
August 2001
Annbjørg and her band just arrived home from North of Italy after 5 concerts
at the wonderful festival Folkest 2001.
This summer Annbjørg has been filming a tv-program for NRK
(Norwegian National Television) called "SommerDag".
Click here for memo.
Read an interview with Annbjørg on globalvillageidiot.net
Annbjørg is now in studio mixing two new albums; one X-mas album
with Bukkene Bruse that will be released in Norway in November 2001,
and one live-album from her spring tour in Norway this year.
This album will be released in Norway 2002.
April 2001
Annbjørg and her band has just finished a four week tour all around Norway,
and the reviews have been fantastic! Read here.
Annbjørg and the rest of Bukkene Bruse will perform at the Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis April 22.
This will be the second time she visit the festival.
Last year she played with her band promoting the new album Baba Yaga,
and also teached at hardangerfiddle workshops.
January 2001
Read an interview with Annbjørg at Expose here.
In March, Annbjørg will tour Norway with her band
- presenting music from her latest album Baba Yaga.
Tourlist will be printed here as soon as it's confirmed.
On the 12th of January Annbjørg go to Glasgow for a concert with
the project String Sisters at Celtic Connections Festival.
On the 19th she will have her own concert there with her band.
Annbjørg is now recording an X-mas album ,
together with Bukkene Bruse in a church in Oslo. This will be released this year 2001.
December 2000
Bukkene Bruse is having a concert in Bjørk Church, Nannestad the 5th of December.
This concert will be filmed by the Norwegian National Broadcasting NRK and will be shown the 17th of December.
November 2000
Annbjørg is touring with Bukkene Bruse this Christmas.
See tour list above for info.
Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole just arrived home after a trip to Sri Lanka.
They performed two concerts in Colombo with top folk musicians from Sri Lanka.
It was two fantastic nights, and a very inspiring fusion between the two traditions.
October 2000
On the 4th of October, Annbjørg was a guest performer at Deep Purple's concert
in Trondheim, Norway. She played the traditional tune "Fanitullen" together with the band,
and also joined them on "Smoke On The Water"
Last year, the project "String Sisters" had its first concert at Celtic Connections in Glasgow.
They are now working with new projects for 2001. The fiddleplayers that was involved was:
Liz Carroll, Liz Knowels, Natalie Macmaster, Catriona Macdonald,
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Annbjørg. Here are some memories,
a movie from the tv-program "Taxci" that was recorded during the festival.
Annbjørg is nominated to Edvardprisen, for her composition
"W." from her latest album Baba Yaga. This will be shown on National TV NRK2 the 28th of October 2000.
Annbjørg is at the moment in a pre-production with a new X-mas record with Bukkene Bruse,
and also writing music for a new solo-album.
August 2000
The weekend around august 18th Annbjørg Lien and the Baba Yaga group
were featured on CNN International's programme "World Beat" along with
other nordic folk groups Vasen and JPP.The segment called Nordic Nights was
filmed live on tour in the US April 2000.
CNN has a multimedia webpage about this broadcast here.
July 2000
This summer Annbjørg Lien and the Baba Yaga group has
been touring Europe visiting some major World Music festivals
in Belgium, Germany and Norway.The concert in Belgium at
the Dranotur festival was broadcasted by the Belgian National Radio.
April 2000
iCAST has an online video interview with Annbjørg.
You can find it here.
Baba Yaga album is selected "cd of the month" in the Italian magazine Jam:
"Annbjørg combines great instrumental ability with
an intelligent musical concept that uses together rock rythms,
digital sounds and ethnic traditions to find innovative and original new musical landscapes."
Rootsworld has an online interview with Annbjørg.
You can find it here.
Bukkene Bruse is now planning a christmas album for next year.
They go in studio after the tour in December, and it will be released for x-mas 2001.
Annbjørg Lien Band is doing a tour in USA. Tour-schedule will be printed soon.
Some of the tour will be together with Vasen (Sweden) and JPP (Finland).
January 2000
During this year,
Annbjørg joined a fiddlers-project, which include Catriona MacDonald (Shetland),
Natalie MacMaster (Canada), Liz Carroll (USA), Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (Ireland) and Liz Noels (USA).
This project started up in Glasgow in January with big success at Celtic Connections.
November/December 1999
The band Bukkene Bruse will do a Christmas tour in churches all around Norway.
Click here for tour schedule.
November 1999
New release of "Music in art " based on the new Baba Yaga album.
November 1999
The new cd Baba Yaga was released in Norway on Grappa Musikkforlag,
and will be released in USA in February 2000 on NorthSide Records.
This record was pre-released at Womex in Berlin 29th of October.
September 1999
Annbjørg will go in studio in Oslo to record her new solo album.
This will be released in Norway on Grappa Records
the first week of November and in USA in February on NorthSide Records.
August 1999
1st of Aug. Bukkene Bruse`s cd "Steinstolen"
(The Stone Chair) is released in USA on NorthSide Records.
Annbjørg is having a pre-production together with her arranger
and producer Bjørn Ole Rasch on the new solo album.
July 1999
The 10th of July Annbjørg left for Halifax, Canada to participate in "The Fiddles of The World"-festival.
She had workshops and performed in concerts together with fiddlers from all over the world.
June 1999
The 21st of June Annbjørg started together with Sondre Bratland
on a tour in the old churches in Norway. This was to show
how important it is to make them alive again,
and that the old folkmaterial is resonating in the beautiful wooden walls.
May 1999
Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole Rasch went on a tour to Greenland.
They travelled with former Norwegian foreign minister Thorvald Stoltenberg
who is now the ambassador to Denmark.
They did a small tour on the west-coast which ended in Nuuk playing a concert
on the Norwegian National day the 17th of May.
April 1999
The 23rd of April Annbjørg left for Poland, to perform together with Sinnika
Langeland on a worldmusic concert in Warshawa, broadcasted on Polish radio.
March 1999
The Annbjørg Lien Band travelled to USA to do a Nordic Folk music consert in New York the 24th of March.
They was joined by the Swedish group Vasen and the Finnish group JPP.
All bands are now part of NorthSide Records, based in Minneapolis.
February 1999
21th of May 1998 The Norwegian relief organisation Redd Barna
(Save the Children foundation) appointed Annbjørg to be an ambassador
for the organisation together with the rest of the band Bukkene Bruse
( Steinar Ofsdal, Arve Moen Bergset and Bjørn Ole Rasch).
They left for Mozambique in Africa in early February to learn about Redd Barna`s work there
and to have musical meetings with local musicians.
During 1999 and 2000 there will also be selected concerts for the benefit of Redd Barna.
The 28th of February Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole Rasch performed
at the Nordic World Wintergames in Ramsau, Austria.
January 1999
Annbjørg together with Bjørn Ole Rasch composed
and recorded music for a new theatre-play "Stalubursa" for the Beaivvas Sami Theatre.
The play was premiered in Kautokeino February 19th.
December 1998
The band Bukkene Bruse received a nomination for the Norwegian Grammy Award "Spelemannsprisen"
in the folkmusic category for the CD "Steinstolen" (The Stone Chair).
The cd has been a critical success in Norway and there are plans for releasing it in USA in 1999.
November 1998
The 18th of Nov. Annbjørg has been awarded a prestigious Norwegian culture grant.
This will allow her to do a new album coming out in 1999 and to plan a bigger tour-scedule abroad in 2000.