Biography:
| A mezzo-soprano, three instrumentalists, a composer, a poet and an architect - FIGURA ENSEMBLE is a musical collective that goes its own way. It specializes in contemporary music and has premiered over 1993 works from Denmark and abroad since its foundation in 200, as well as given many Danish premieres. All seven ensemble members are among Denmark's most renowned artists: Helene Gjerris, Jesper Egelund, Frans Hansen, Anna Klett, Peter Bruun, Ursula Andkjær Olsen and Filippa Berglund. Together, as FIGURA, they have been challenging cooperation partners and listeners with extraordinary concerts and modern music theater for 20 years, not to mention the workshop productions of the »Small Composers«, which are aimed at the next generation of music lovers. In addition to many years of tireless work in the areas Music, opera and education FIGURA has performed in many countries, e.g. China, Faroe Islands, England, USA, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Slovakia, Norway and Sweden. As the current CD shows, collaboration is very much part of the concept of FIGURA Ensemble, both in Denmark and abroad. The ensemble maintains close collaborations with composers such as Timo Kreuser (Germany), Derek Bermel (USA) and Steingrímur Rohloff (Iceland / Germany), who was Composer in Residence at FIGURA at the time of this recording; with musicians such as Garth Knox (Great Britain), Matthias Loibner (Austria) and Frode Haltli (Norway) as well as with ensembles such as POING (Norway) and the Seattle Chamber Players (USA), sister ensemble of FIGURA since 2008.Awards and nominations in recent years2012 · Ursula Andkjær Olsen received the Montana Furniture Corporation Literature Prize for her book of poetry The Heart of the 3rd Millennium. 2011 · FIGURA's »Small Composers« received the YEAH! Young EARopean Award. · Ursula Andkjær Olsen received the Holberg Medal.2010 · Helene Gjerris received the Society of Danish Composers' Musician's Prize.2009 · FIGURA Ensemble received the most prestigious Danish theater prize, the Reumert Prize, for the best children's theater production of the year. A Mother's Story was a co-production with Corona La Balance / ZeBU Theater and tells the touching story of Andersen in a modern musical theater with music by Steingrímur Rohloff H.C. · Ursula Andkjær Olsen has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize and has been recognized by the National Arts Foundation's Literary Committee for her literary work Have he en scene (The sea is a stage) awarded.2008 · Peter Bruun received the Nordic Council Music Prize for opera Mike Alone (Libretto by Ursula Andkjær Olsen). Mike Alone is a musical monodrama premiered in 2002 by FIGURA Ensemble at Den Anden Opera Copenhagen. |
Albums:
