Biography
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The music of American-Dutch composer Ellen Lindquist has been performed throughout the world. Lindquist finds inspiration in the discovery of unique sound-worlds and thrives on collaboration, with dance, theatre, poetry, performance art and, particularly, devised music theatre — such as drömseminarium, a staged work for fifteen musicians based on the poetry of Nobel laureate Tomas Tranströmer. Her newest major work, Mantra (a concerto for Indonesian gamelan with Espen Aalberg and the Trondheim Sinfonietta) was released by BIS Records in October 2018. Ellen’s work has been heard at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The United Nations, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (New York), and Konserthuset (Stockholm). Past commissions range from solo and chamber pieces to choral and orchestral works. Her work is published by Potenza Music, Marimba Productions, Inc., and Apple Mountain Music Press (ASCAP).
Lindquist received her BA in composition from Middlebury College, Vermont, and both her MA and PhD in composition from New York’s Stony Brook University, where she has also taught. Lindquist has also taught at Sweden’s Gotland School of Music Composition, and since 2013 has taught as Associate Professor at Trondheim’s NTNU Institute of Music. As a pianist, Ellen has performed as chamber musician and accompanist in the US, Canada, and Europe. She is a member of the Norwegian Society of Composers and is currently working with support from a four-year Artist grant from Arts Council Norway. She lives with her family on the Fosen peninsula, near Trondheim, Norway. A deep respect for and love of the natural world is reflected in her work. Current work includes an international project in China’s remarkable Longyou Caves, a collaborative project with poet Margrethe Aas and Alpaca Trio, a new piece for Kammerkoret Aurum, and landscape music projects in Norway and Sweden.
(last updated May 2019)