Violinist, composer and improviser Inger Hannisdal is a genre-defying and versatile musician, who moves seamlessly between folk and traditional music, contemporary classical, avant-garde jazz and improvised music, retaining her own distinctive sound. Musically multi-lingual, her work merge melodic and tonal languages both from Norwegian folk music and her years learning Arabic music in Lebanon, seeking a counter-hegemonic method that centers non-Eurocentric composition techniques and improvisational languages, and with an explicit ideology of multiculturalism and exchange. A proponent of DIY ethics and aesthetics, she frequently utilizes lo-fi electronics, cassette tapes and acoustic preparations, rejecting perfectionism for spontanity and in-the-moment creation. Her compositions focus on microtonality, both in melody and harmony, sometimes using extended techniques on the instrument. She performs frequently with her own ensemble, solo, and in various collaborations and ad-hoc encounters. She recently made her soloist debut with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra performing her own commissioned work. She also performs Arabic and Persian music in various groups and projects.
Inger is the recipient of the Hans Christian Ostrø memorial price in 2023, and of a Spellemannspris / Norwegian Grammy for composition in 2023 for «North South East West».. She releases music on her self-run independent record label Fiol.
«In general there is something refreshing to Hannisdal’s project, and her musically multi-lingual approach. It feels full of curiosity, independence and engaged immersion, originating just as much from lived experience, encounters and presence, as from institutions and establishments. This makes her artistry something of her own, which hopefully will mark the scene for a long time to come.» - Morgenbladet, 2023
«This is Wicker Man stuff» - Songlines Magazine, 2022
photos: Nabeeh Semaan
Solo - Caféteateret, Oslo, april 2023
Inger Hannisdal Ensemble live at Oslo World, november 2022
Khalid Laaouam - saxophone // Frode Haltli: accordion // Michaela Antalová: drums // Adrian Myhr: double bass // Inger Hannisdal: violin