The internationally acclaimed folk musician, performer and composer Benedicte Maurseth is Kode's composer in residence in 2026. Throughout the year she will approach music from the theme of «instant composition», music in the moment.
Benedicte Maurseth has apprenticed under master fiddler Knut Hamre and has the traditional music from Hardanger as her speciality. She has toured both in Norway and internationally and has collaborated with artists across musical genres and artistic expressions, such as Jon Fosse, Anne Marit Jacobsen, Nils Økland and Rolf Lislevand.
With Benedicte Maurseth as composer in residence, this year's work will join the award-winning works Hárr (2022) and Mirra (2025), as the third in a musical triptych. The work will contain concrete sound, pre-composed voices on tape and melodic material and arrangements by Maurseth that are developed in collaboration with her fellow musicians. There will also be elements of improvisation. Maurseth primarily uses sound recordings and graphic scores as the basis for her compositional work.
For Kode, this year's commission is an innovative project and joins the legacy of all Kode's composers, Ole Bull, Edvard Grieg and Harald Sæverud, who each in their own way created their personal expression drawing on folk music and their relationship with nature. With this year's commissioned work, this legacy is lifted into a new context, where traditional music and nature become the backdrop for new interpretation.
Throughout the year as composer in residence, Benedicte Maurseth participates at several venues where Kode is a collaborating partner, such as Borealisfestivalen, Festspillene and at Bergen Kjøtt. She also participates in other events under Kode's auspices.
Venue: Troldsalen
Time: Friday 27 November 2026 at 19:00
Duration: 50 minutes (approximately)
Performers:
Composer in residence Benedicte Maurseth, Hardanger fiddle
Mats Eilertsen, bass
Morten Qvenild, keys
Håkon Stene, percussion
