Cikada Ensemble

Cikada is a contemporary music ensemble based in Oslo, Norway. It was founded in 1989 and consists of ten permanent members(flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, string quintet, piano, and conductor), who perform both as a collective, in smaller groups and as soloists.
Cikada performs at festivals such as Donaueschingen Musiktage, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Klangspuren Schwaz, ECLAT Stuttgart, November Music, Sacrum Profanum, and Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festiva, of which it is a founding member. The ensemble tours regularly in Europe, and has made several visits to the USA.
Cikada has commissioned and premiered close to 200 works by composers such as Carola Bauckholt, Bent Sørensen, Richard Barrett, Laurence Crane, James Dillon, Liza Lim, Georg Friedrich Haas, Clara Ianotta, and Klaus Lang. It has collaborated with many of the central Norwegian composers of the last 30 years, including Ragnhild Berstad, Eivind Buene, Lars Petter Hagen, Cecilie Ore, Jon Øivind Ness, Asbjørn Schaatun, Maja Ratkje, Rolf Wallin, and Kristine Tjøgersen.
Cikada has released 26 albums for labels such as ECM, Lawo Classics, Aurora, and 2L. The ensemble also appears on several split albums, compilations etc.
The ensemble has received awards such as the Norwegian "Spellemannprisen", the Dutch Edison Award 2006 and the Nordic Council’s Music Prize of 2005, in addition to several nominations.
Cikada Ensemble is funded by the Arts Council Norway and Oslo Municipality. Other contributors include Fond for utøvende kunstnere, Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, Bergesenstiftelsen and others.
==Constellations==
Cikada Duo consists of Kenneth Karlsson (piano, synthesizer) and Bjørn Rabben (percussion). The duo was formed in 1988, and since became an integrated part of the Cikada Ensemble. It is noted for its collaboration with Norwegian contemporary music nestor Arne Nordheim. The album Nordheim with Elisabeth Holmertz (soprano) and Åke Parmerud (electronics) was nominated for Spellemannprisen in the Contemporary Music category in 2007.
Cikada String Quartet has performed extensively in Norway and Europe since 1989. The quartet has both released albums in its own name and contributes on several recordings of other artists. Their album Black Angels, with works by George Crumb, Anton Webern, and Witold Lutoslawski was awarded a Spellemannprisen award in 1995 in the Chamber Music Category. The album In Due Tempi with music by John Cage, Kaija Saariaho, and Bruno Maderna was awarded the Dutch Edison Award in 2006. The album Vertigo Room featuring music by Knut Olav Sunde was nominated for Spellemannprisen in the Contemporary Music category in 2018
Other constellations include Cikada Piano Trio (vn, vc, pno), Cikada Point 4 (with pianist Jon Balke and percussionist Ingar Zach), and Cikada RBK (vla, clar, pno).
==Members==
* Kenneth Karlsson – piano, artistic leader
* Christian Eggen – conductor
* Anne Karine Hauge – flute
* Rolf Borch – clarinet
* Karin Hellqvist – violin
* Sara Övinge – violin
* Bendik Foss – viola
* Torun Sæter Stavseng – cello
* Magnus Söderberg – bass
* Bjørn Rabben – percussion
Former members:
* Kjersti Waldén – flute (1989-2003)
* Terje Lerstad – clarinet (1989-2005)
* Hans Christian Bræin – clarinet (2005-2009)
* Marek Konstantynowych – viola (1989-2010)
* Morten Hannisdal – cello (1989-2010)
* Henrik Hannisdal – violin (1989-2011)
* Johannes Martens – cello (2010-2014)
* Odd Hannisdal – violin (1989-2022)
==Discography (selected)==
===Cikada tutti===
* Hilde Torgersen/Kenneth Karlsson/The Cikada Ensemble (Albedo 1992)
* Cikada plays Wallin/Hedstrøm/Ore/Persen (Aurora, 1992)
* Cikada: Murail/Kruse/Lindberg/Nilson/Hegdal (Albedo, 1993)
* Antonio Bibalo: Portrait (Aurora, 1997)
* Svorsk Swegian (Albedo 1997)
* Cikada (Albedo, 1998)
* Bent Sørensen: Night Windows (WH, 2004)
* Morton Feldman: The viola in my life (ECM, 2008)
* Richard Barrett: Dark Matter (with the Elision Ensemble) (NMC Records, 2012)
* Eivind Buene: Possible cities/essential landscapes (2L, 2012)
* Laurence Crane: Drones, scales and objects (Lawo Classics, 2015)
* Carola Bauckholt: Ich muss mit dir reden (2L, 2015)
* Live at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (Lawo Classics, 2015)
* Maja S. K. Ratkje: And sing... (2L, 2016)
* Henrik Hellstenius: Ophelias: Death by water singing (Lawo Classics, 2016)
* Åke Parmerud: Parmerud (Lawo Classics, 2018)
* Lars Petter Hagen: Harmonium Repertoire (Lawo, 2020)
* Henrik Hellstenius: Places of sounds and words (with Asamisimasa and Elisabeth Holmertz) (Lawo, 2022)
Appears on:
* Lasse Thoresen: Abuno/Thus/Yr/Quodat (Aurora, 1993)
* Jon Øivind Ness: Dandy garbage (Aurora, 1999)
* Cecilie Ore: Tempora Mutantur (Frau Musica, 2002)
* Robin de Raaff: Stolen back from time (Attacca, 2018)
* Donaueschingen Musiktage 2018 (NEOS Music, 2018)
===Cikada String Quartet===
* Black Angels – Crumb, Lutoslawski, (Cala, 1995)
* Bertil Palmar Johansen: Strings (Aurora, 1999)
* In due tempi – Cage, Maderna, Saariaho (ECM, 2005)
* Knut Olav Sunde: Vertigo room (Mere Records, 2018)
Appears on:
* Jon Balke: Rotor (Curling Legs, 1998)
* Non-solid objects (Albedo, 1998)
* Jon Øivind Ness: Dandy garbage (Aurora, 1999)
* Kåre Kolberg: Certainty and doubt (Aurora, 1999)
* Mats Edén: Milvus (ECM, 1999)
* Anette Peacock: An acrobat’s heart (ECM, 2000)
* The Source: The Source and different Cikadas (ECM, 2002)
* Cecilie Ore: Tempora Mutantur (Frau Musica, 2002)
* Arild Andersen: Selected recordings (Rarum, 2004)
* Erlend Skomsvoll: Skomsork (Park Grammofon, 2004)
* Mette Henriette: Mette Henriette (2014, ECM)
===Cikada Duo===
* Cikada Duo (Albedo, 1993)
* Nordheim (2L, 2007)
* Åke Parmerud: Parmerud (Lawo Classics, 2018)
Appears on:
* John Cage: Will you give me to tell you (Albedo, 2002)
* The Nordic Sound (2L, 2019)
===Cikada Point 4===
* Panopticon (Jon Balke, Ingar Zach, Cikada Duo) (SOFA, 2008)
Category:Contemporary music
{{Category:Musical groups established in 1989]]
Category:Musical groups from Oslo