Frode Haltli

Frode Haltli (b. 1975, Norway) began playing the accordion at the age of seven. In his early years he won numerous national contests. Haltli studied at the Norwegian State Academy of Music, then at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, graduating in 2000.

In 2001 the Norwegian Concert Institute named him Young Soloist Of The Year, he was also placed second in the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition 1999 in the Netherlands.

The following years Haltli established himself as an international soloist and chamber musician. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras world-wide and is equally comfortable playing on contemporary music festivals in Warsaw, Witten and Huddersfield as on major jazz, classical and world music festivals.
Haltli has established links with several composers, among them Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, Bent Sørensen, Rolf Wallin, Atli Ingólfsson, Hans Abrahamsen, Jo Kondo and Sam Hayden.

His debut CD ‘Looking on Darkness’ was released on the prestigiuos German record label ECM in 2002. On his 2007 recording ’Passing Images’ (ECM), Haltli is joined by trumpeter Arve Henriksen, viola player Garth Knox, and vocalist Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, for a selection of lyrical explorations of folk themes couched in the form of contemporary improvised music. He has played regularely with the trio POING, alongside saxophonist Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and double bass player Håkon Thelin. They have commissioned more than 60 works from composers all over the world and recorded several albums.

Frode Haltli has developed several transcultural music projects, and has also played music rooted in Norwegian traditional music, notably with the trio RUSK in which he is teamed with singer Unni Løvlid and violinist Vegar Vårdal. Since the release of the duo album ‘Yeraz’ on ECM in 2008 Haltli has even toured regularly with saxophonist Trygve Seim.

Frode Haltli teaches accordion at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.

September 2012