Tora Karen Elisabeth Augestad (born 10 December 1979) is a Norwegian mezzosoprano, conducting and actor.[ Augestad has received Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy Award) and other awards for her albums.]
Background and education
Augestad was born in Bergen, educated at the Norges Musikkhøgskole in Oslo and the Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm and has studied singing with such as Torsten Föllinger and Ståle Ytterli, both classical music and jazz. She holds a master's degree in cabaret singing at Norges Musikkhøgskole with particular emphasis on Hanns Eisler, Kurt Weill and American cabaret.
She is the daughter of Program 81/82 vocalist Kate Augestad and composer Geir Johnson.
Career
Augestad sang in Det Norske Solistkor (2000–2005) and the vocal band Pitsj (1999–2006). She is the lead singer in the ensemble Music for a While, with the record release Weill Variations (2007).
Augestad has been a soloist at the show The Source: Of Christmas with "The Source", participated in various and operas is and has been an actor/singer at "Teater Ibsen" in Skien as well as at the Riksteatret. She conducted the "Norges ungdomskor" (200-06). She is singing in the trio BOA, has been a soloist with various orchestras and ensembles, including the Oslo Sinfonietta during the "Oslo Kammermusikkfestival".
Augestad moved to Berlin in 2007, and has been currently working with some of Europe's leading ensembles for contemporary music including Ensemble Modern and Klangforum Wien. 15 October 2010 she was a guest on the Beat for beat, a program at NRK1.[
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In 2008 she portrayed the Grand High Witch in the children's opera The Witches by Marcus Paus and Ole Paus; the role was written for her.[" Tora Augestad med Ensemble Modern i Athen," Ballade, 22 January 2008]
Since 2009 she has worked with the Swiss star director Christoph Marthaler. She has participated in the following of his productions at the opera in Basel: as soloist in "Wüstenbuch" (opera by Beat Furrer), in "Meine faire Dame – ein Sprachlabor", and "Lo Stimolatore Cardiaco".[
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Augestad had her debut in 2012 at the Zürich Opera in a new production by Christoph Marthaler with soloist Anne Sofie von Otter among others.
In 2018 Augestad and the Oslo Philharmonic released the album Portraying Passion: Works by Weill/Paus/Ives, with works by Kurt Weill, Marcus Paus and Charles Ives.[" Tora Augestad: En stemme i særklasse," Dagsavisen][" Hun har sagt at hennes nye plate er en 40-årsgave til henne selv. Men det er også en vakker julegave til oss lyttere," Bergens Tidende, 6 December 2019]
At the 2019 concert "Paus meets Cohen", Augestad and NyNorsk Messingkvintett performed new works by Ole Paus and Marcus Paus.[" Paus møter Cohen," Ballade, 7 November 2019]
In 2020 Augestad released the mini-album Good Vibes in Bad Times, a song cycle by Marcus Paus that reconceptualizes texts by Donald Trump as poems.
Discography
Solo albums
- Within Music for a While including with Stian Carstensen, Mathias Eick, Martin Taxt and Pål Hausken
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2007: Weill Variations (Grappa Music)
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2012: Graces That Refrain (Grappa Music)
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2014: Canticles of Winter (Grappa Music)
- Within 'Augestad & Waagaard Duo'
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2010: Over The Piano: American Cabaret Songs (Norway Music)
- Within 'BOA Trio' including with Morten Barrikmo and Tanja Orning
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2013: BOA mOOn Over tOwns (Grappa Music)
Collaborations
- Within 'Pitsj'
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2006: Pitsj (Grappa Music)
- With 'Kammerkoret Nova' and Anne Karin Sundal-Ask
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2012: To Whom We Sing (Lawo Classics)
- With Trygve Seim, Frode Haltli and Svante Henryson
- With the Oslo Philharmonic
- With various artists
- With Anders Kregnes Hansen
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2020: Good Vibes in Bad Times (MTG Music)
External links
