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Geir Hjorthol

Geir Hjorthol was born on September 12, 1952 in Sykkylven, Norway. He started to play the trumpet in a marching band at the age of 14, but it took a few years before he started to work seriously with music – along with his academic career as a teacher and researcher of nordic literature. As a trumpet player Geir combines the sound of the trumpet with alternative playing techniques and electronic sound processing. His free improvised music is inspired by folk music and contemporary, free tonal music. The sounds of Geir’s music come not only from acoustic instruments, electronic effects and the human voice, but from nature and everyday life. These are gathered into a musical whole where melodic lines alternate and combine with dynamic rhythms and creative noise.

Geir’s working bands for the time being (2021) are Hjorthol & Barth, a duo with Andreas Barth (drums, percussion, electronics) and Quest, an impro-quartet whith Geir, Andreas Barth, Erik Fooladi (percussion) and Torleif Sagstad (guitars). He has also collaborated with other musicians and artists: Magnar Åm (composer and musician within contemporary music and improvisation), Einy Åm Sparks (danser and coreographer), Tyler Sparks (film), Benedicte Maurseth (hardanger fiddle), Lars Amund Vaage (Norwegian author) and different choires. In these and other constellations he has had a large number of conserts through the years.

As a professor of Nordic literature at Volda University College Geir has a particular interest in the relationship between music and literature and has published a number of articles on this topic (see publications in CRIStin: https://www.hivolda.no/tilsette/institutt-sprak-og-litteratur/geir-petter-hjorthol).

Discography: In These Times (Farmorhuset 2021). Hjorthol & Barth Den raude staden (Farmorhuset 2019). Hjorthol & Barth with Lars Amund Vaage The Broken Vessel (Ravello Records 2018). Andreas Barth, Geir Hjorthol, Magnar Åm Ramme (Farmorhuset 2014). Hjorthol & Barth Rom (Questmusic 2004). Quest (Erik Fooladi, Geir Hjorthol and Torleif Sagstad)

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