Anne-Lise Berntsen (28 August 1943 – 3 November 2012) was a Norwegian soprano. The daughter of Harald Berntsen (1901–1974) and Arnhild Rossetnes (1916–1991), she was born in

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken (county), Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and village ...

, and grew up in

Eggedal Eggedal is a valley and parish in Viken county , Norway. It consisting of the northwestern half of the municipality of Sigdal. Location Eggedal is located between Numedalsfjellene in the west and Norefjell in the east, stretching northwards from ...

. She studied at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, and undertook further music education in Aarhus, The Hague and London. Berntsen made her concert debuts in Aarhus and in London in 1978. Her operatic debut was in Stockholm in 1984. Hans Gefors composed the role of Lollo in his opera ''Vargen kommer'' with Berntsen in mind. She taught for several years at the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

. She had a long-standing artistic collaboration and personal relationship with Nils Henrik Asheim, where their work together included the "Engleskyts" project, which produced two albums (''Engleskyts'' and ''Kom Regn'') that included Norwegian folk hymns and organ improvisations. Outside of music, Berntsen appeared in the film ''Derailment'' (1993). Berntsen was married and divorced twice. Her first marriage to Erwin Fötschl, from 1966 to 1967, produced a son. Her second marriage, to Øyvind Gunnarsjaa, lasted from 1969 to 1987, and produced a daughter.

References

External links

*
Official Anne-Lise Berntsen webpage

Norsk Biografisk Leksikon Norwegian-language biography of Anne-Lise Berntsen

1943 births 2012 deaths Musicians from Drammen Norwegian sopranos {{Norway-singer-stub