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A brand new video release shot by Ida Bach Jensen. Sound by Marc Casanovas. Check it out:

Once again its time to prepare my quartertonal reedblocks for the upcoming tour with Efterklang & The Happy Hopeless Orchestra. Tour Dates goes as follows:

02.03 – EINDHOVEN, NL – Muziekgebouw Eindhoven / Cross Linx | Info & Tickets

03.03 – GRONINGEN, NL – De Oosterpoort / Cross Linx | Info & Tickets

04.03 – ROTTERDAM, NL – De Doelen / Cross Linx | Info & Tickets

05.03 – AMSTERDAM, NL – Muziekgebouw / Cross Linx | Info & Tickets

09.03 – LONDON, UK – Barbican | Info & Tickets

10.03 – BRUSSELS, BE – Ancienne Belgique | Info & Tickets

Bjarke Mogensen, quarter tone accordion – Lisbeth Balslev, soprano at the Opera Leaves – The Colour of Falling premiered at Cph Opera Festival

Our new album from my quartet KOTTOS received the P2 Radio Listeners Prize. The other nominees included the outstanding Raphael De Burgos & The National Danish Radio Orchestra as well as Barbara Hannigan and Hans Abrahamsens new album Let Me Tell You which has already received worldwide acclaim. Needless to say we were in outstanding company which makes this prize even more surreal. The new album is in many ways exceptional consisting exclusively on our own compositions including three of these by yours truly.  Thank you everyone who took the time to leave us a vote!

Order album here

Great news for my quartet of great and curious musicians. KOTTOS has been nominated for the Danish P2 State Radio Listeners Prize for our new album released may 2016. Please take two seconds to leave a vote for us on this link :

2 years ago the conductor and composer Bo Holten asked me if I wanted to do a completely new version together of Handels Messiah with his Musica Ficta a leading danish Vocal Ensemble. Using my accordion for such an epic masterpiece was very tempting but also quite a challenge so I came up with the idea of inviting my friends from KOTTOS . 8 singers singing all parts accompanied by a quartet of accordion, bouzouki, recorder & cello.
The premiere received great reviews last year a.o. 5 hearts in the National Newspaper Politiken.

Skt. Pauls Kirke, København – 15. december kl. 19.00
Skt. Nicolai Kirke, Rønne – 17. december kl. 16.00
Hans Tausens Kirke, København – 18. december kl. 16.00

It has been a while since my last update so heres a few glimpses of the last couple of months:

CHINA:

Jury member at the International Accordion Competition in Harbin China.

 

I had the pleasure of giving a lecture at the university of Harbin in Danish accordion tradition and present a couple of of my newest commissions of composers from Europe ending with a demonstration of my quartertonal accordion-part in the Opera ‘Leaves’.

 

DANISH CHAMBERPLAYERS 25th anniversary

In august I was celebrating the Danish Chamber Players ( Ensemble Storstrøm) 25th year Anniversary at the idyllic surroundings of Fuglsang with a performance of Per Nørgårds accordion concerto ‘Recall’ (1968). Here I was introduced to the brand new hall KUMUS where I recently had the great pleasure of recording Martin Lohses 5 Momenti Mobile with a couple of great musicians including my colleague Claudio Jacomucci, violinist Christina Strand and cellist Toke Møldrup.

 

TV-PERFORMANCE at Bornholm

At Bornholm they broadcasted a performance of a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti and an excerpt of me and Martin Lohses Album ‘Mobile – Works for solo accordion’ (2015)

Speaking of Scarlatti: Soon I will have a brand new soloalbum coming out…more on this later!

 

 

In June I had the pleasure of giving Masterclass at RAM in London. Thanks to Prof. Owen Murray and his wonderful accordion class for great hospitality and introduction to the bright future of the accordion in London.

Kottos quartets first album out now and ready for orders ! I am delighted to share the music with these wonderful musicians where I also have my composing debut with a few brand new tracks. Visit and order your copy now!

Also check out the brand new video of Kottos in Admiral Gjeddes Gaard by Unseen Recordings

 

This week the union of music critics of Denmark awarded me and Eva Steinaa, principal Oboist of the National Danish Radio Orchestra with the annual Music Critic’s Artist Prize. The event took place before a concert perfomance of Steve Reichs music for 18 musicians in Tivoli Concert Hall presented by the chairman of the union, Henrik Friis.

I den forgangne måned blev et fonemt æresdiplom uddelt og et vejskilt sat op ved folkekøkkenet i Østermarie.
En stor tak til alle de implicerede! (Se program i nedenstående billeder)