On Orbits, SiTron presents three works by composers Ellen Lindquist, Bjørn Marius Hegge, and Klaus Holm. The release showcases the ensemble’s versatility within contemporary musical expression and offers listeners an insight into three of the most significant composers in Trondheim today.

Ellen Lindquist: Earth

This piece is a meditation on the Earth element, which embodies a simple, continuous, and grounded energy. Yet this profound stillness is built upon a woven network of complex connections, cycles, simultaneous systems, and living structures; it feels as though the Earth element possesses a core of stillness that is always in motion. The Earth element connects to Ether/Spirit and encompasses Air, Water, and Fire. All five elements are interlinked and essential for our physical and spiritual growth.

Bjørn Marius Hegge: Saiamonit

Our Western ears are so accustomed to equal temperament that anything else is often perceived as out-oftune. But is that truly the case? “Out-of-tuneness” and microtones are a significant part of traditional music worldwide, and in Saiamonit, Hegge explores the concept of quarter tones. He developed a harp tuning that forms the basis for the work’s intonation. This tension between tuned and untuned also references Harry Partch’s ensemble, where Partch crafted instruments and tuned them according to his own system. Another inspiration comes from traditional music, where collective performance is central. In Hegge’s music, this manifests as a collaborative development of themes and gestures.

Klaus Holm: Slik starter du en kortbølgeradio/How to start a shortwave radio

Patterns that emerge when different tempos are layered on top of each other, and a helpless Google translation, make up the main elements of How to Start a Shortwave Radio. Packed with grammatical errors, the text describes how, in five simple steps, you can start your own shortwave radio station. These instructions are then read by a (deliberately bad) AI-generated voice, which is subsequently chopped into small fragments and scattered throughout the piece together with noise elements taken from the shortwave radio network. The piece’s other central idea is the notion of parallel tempos – at times, there are up to five different tempos happening simultaneously. The performers must focus on not being drawn into each other’s rhythmic gravitational fields, creating a unique sense of tension. Around the world, small communities of AM enthusiasts still operate independently.

SiTron

SiTron (Sinfonietta in Trondheim) is a chamber ensemble specializing in contemporary music. Its musicians are drawn from Trondheim’s professional music scene, and the ensemble serves as a creative meeting place for performers from the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Norwegian Air Force Band, NTNU, and the city’s vibrant freelance community.

SiTron performs contemporary works with a focus on notated music from 1920 to the present day, as well as music that incorporates elements of improvisation. Each year, SiTron commissions and premieres several new works, contributing significantly to the development of new repertoire. Through this work, both emerging and established composers — regional, national, and international — are given new opportunities and platforms to present their music.

Ellen Lindquist

Ellen Lindquist (b. 1970) is an American-Dutch composer whose music has been performed worldwide. She draws inspiration from exploring unique sound worlds and thrives in collaborations with dance, theatre, poetry, visual arts, performance, and site-specific works. Her pieces have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, The Cathedral Church of St John the Divine in New York, and Konserthuset in Stockholm.

Her recent projects are often site-sensitive, such as Trehagen (2022), created for Trondheim Voices, percussionists Tor Andreas Haugerud and Owen Weaver, with woven art by Ingrid Becker and ceramic instruments by Tovelise Røkke-Olsen. Lindquist is a member of the Norwegian Society of Composers and has taught at NTNU, Middlebury College, Stony Brook University, and Gotland School of Music Composition.

Bjørn Marius Hegge

Bjørn Marius Hegge is a Norwegian double bassist, composer, and bandleader, drawing inspiration from American musical styles of the 1950s and 1960s, while also challenging conventional musical norms. He lives in Trondheim and studied jazz and composition at NTNU.

Hegge has led several ensembles, including the trio with Oscar Grönberg and Hans Hulbækmo, the quintet Hegge, and the band Operasjon Hegge. He has received the Spellemann Prize and released multiple albums, both with his own groups and in collaboration with other ensembles.

Klaus Ellerhusen Holm

Klaus Ellerhusen Holm (b. 1979, Oslo) is based in Trondheim, working in the field of contemporary, improvised, and experimental jazz. Originally a saxophonist, he studied at the Trondheim Conservatory of Music and the Norwegian Academy of Music, where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in composition. After many years as a performer, his focus has increasingly turned toward composing, resulting in works for leading Norwegian ensembles such as Tøyen Fil og Klafferi, Ensemble neoN, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, ensemble Aksiom, and SiTron.

As a composer, he aims to create music that is personal and original, reflecting on the society we live in while integrating improvisation as a creative method. Drawn to the unpolished, unconventional, and direct, he seeks to bring the energy of free jazz into new musical forms. His ongoing projects include Goose Green, Honest John, Ballrogg, and Large Unit. He has performed in 17 countries and collaborated with a wide range of prominent musicians across jazz and contemporary music.