Liv Runesdatter is a Norwegian freelance singer, composer and producer. Her musical language has it´s roots in Norwegian traditional music, improvisational music and more experimental voice expressions. She is one of very few singers performing the rare traditional music from Vestfold and Rogaland.
Her solo cd "Sing heart" was relased in autumn 2008 by GRAPPA Music Group, the leading independent record company in Norway. The cd has received wonderful reviews. The Norwegian Broadcast journalist Kjetil Bjørgan proclaimes it to be an important music project, challenging the Norwegian traditional music field, both through Runesdatter voice performance and because of the catchy and untraditional musical choices.
Rare Norwegian traditional songs from Vestfold and Rogaland. Histories about life, tradition and people: delight and sorrow, love and frustration, life and death, man and spirit. Be amused by distinctive melodies, warm stories and fascinating musical landscapes.
The repertoire has partly been found in Norwegian public or privat archives, and partly through personal meetings with people who knew the songs, or in any way were related to the stories of the songs.
Runesdatter has produced performances in cooperation with dancers, film makers, musicians and visual artists, and is leader of the production company CARMA Contemporary Art, Music and Dance. She has collaborated with artists from Norway, Brazil, Sweden, Netherland, Belgium, Germany, Gambia, Tanzania, Canada, Columbia, Ukrain, England, Czech, Balochistan, Iran, Azerbajdan, Moldovia, Russia and Finland, and performed her music on festivals and concert halls in Norway and abroad. Among the artists she has worked with are well recognized musicians such as the accordionist Stian Carstensen, the composer and jazzmusician Alfred Janson, accordionist Frode Haltli, saxophone player Charles Lloyd, guitarist John Abercrombie, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, Abdulrahman Surizehi on beju, saxophonists Trygve Seim, Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and Torben Snekkestad, jazz vocalist Lisa Dillan, composer and musician Nils Henrik Asheim, vocalist Sidsel Endresen, King Knut, percussionist Kjell Samkopf, composer and musician Christian Wolff, guitarist Martin Aaserud, bass player Michael Duch and many more.
Liv Runesdatter has received a long list of stipendiums and prizes for her work.
Musicians: Liv Runesdatter (voice), Alfred Janson (accordion, melodica), Trygve Seim (saxofon), Tuva Bolstad (harding fiddel), Rolf-Nystrøm (saxofon), Vidar Skrede (baglama), Håkon Thelin (double bass).