Bjørn Ole Rasch (born 28 July 1959) is a Norwegian artist (keyboards performer), composer, arranger and producer. He is a professor of popular music at the

Agder University College The University of Agder ( no, Universitetet i Agder), formerly known as Agder College and Agder University College, is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university co ...

. With his wife,

Annbjørg Lien Annbjørg Lien (born 15 October 1971) is a Norwegian musician, playing the hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle), violin, and nyckelharpa. Career She first came to national prominence in 1986. Shortly afterwards got a recording deal with the Heilo lab ...

, he runs the Kongshavn Studios in Kristiansand.

Career

Rasch was born in

Elverum is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum. Other settlements in the municipality include Heradsbygd, Sørskog ...

and raised in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

. He began playing the piano at seven and learned much piano technique from his mother. He was taught classical music for eight years before he bought his first synthesizer and became more interested in composing and arranging. 19 years old, he composed music for a theater performance of the folktale "Manndottera og kjerringdottera", and he continued to compose music for the theater some years after this, among others 3 ballets and two more theater plays among them the first performance of J.R.R. Tolkien's

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...

in Norway. In 1981 he joined the prog rock band "Boys Voice", which comprised fellow students from Agder Musikkonservatorium in

. The band released the single ''20 Golden Lies'' in 1984, before they released their album ''Talking to the Moon'' the year after. At the same time, he was a member of the jazz group ''EtCetera'' from Molde that also released an album in 1985. Most of his musical productions are at the intersection of Norwegian

traditional folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

and world music. His work includes major productions and compositions for theater, ballet, movies cd productions and TV, and most of these have been released worldwide. In 2002, Rasch was appointed the first professor of Rhythmic music in Norway, and in 2003 he became a member of Agder Academy of Sciences. Rasch has worked with Annbjørg Lien as producer, arranger and composer since 1994, and since 1997 he has been a member of the traditional folk ensemble

Bukkene Bruse Bukkene Bruse (established in 1988 in Norway) is a Norwegian traditional folk music band, presenting a varied repertoire of traditional and folk-style Norwegian songs, but also including many new compositions based on various Norwegian musical tra ...

. In 2009 Bjørn Ole Rasch og Annbjørg Lien released their first duo-album under the name ''Come Home'' frå 2009. Most of their releases together is a blend of Norwegian folk music and elements from world-music. Rasch was appointed Official Olympic Musician in 1993 for the Lillehammer Olympics, which resulted in a long collaboration with the artist

Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and op ...

. I 1999, Rasch as member of the Bukkene Bruse group was awarded the Prøysen Prize. In 1994 he was a member of the group Secret Garden as arranger and musician, a collaboration that in 2011 had resulted in record sales of nearly 4.5 million. In 1995 he received triple platinum for his work as arranger and musician on "Innerst i sjelen" with Sissel Kyrkjebø at

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, and in 2009 he received Golden record both in Norway and Sweden for his production "Spellemann" at Grappa Records and in 2010 for the production "Julenatt" at

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

. In 1999, Rasch was ambassador for the charity

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

together with Bukkene Bruse, and in 2005 he composed the music for the international film ''Valo'' and the musical ''Emma'' together with his wife

. In 2010 he authored the music book ''Analog Syntese'' (Analog Synthesis) on his own imprint. He has worked as an arranger and musician for artists like

Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

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Trilok Gurtu Trilok Gurtu (born 30 October 1951) is an Indian percussionist and composer whose work has blended the music of India with jazz fusion and world music. He has worked with Terje Rypdal, Gary Moore, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, M ...

Mahsa Vahdat Mahsa Vahdat (in Persian مهسا وحدت) (born 29 October 1973, Tehran, Iran) is a Persian classical and world music vocalist. Mahsa Vahdat's music style is contemporary expression inspired by old traditional and folk and regional music of ...

Hanne Boel Hanne Boel (born 31 August 1957 in Bagsværd, Copenhagen) is a Danish singer. Boel covers in her songs a range of styles including pop, soul, gospel, rock, and jazz. Over the course of her career, she has sold over 2.5 million records, and has h ...

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Spanish operatic tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his de ...

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, Sissel Kyrkjebø,

Lisa Nilsson My Lisa Karolina Nilsson (born 13 August 1970) is a Swedish singer. She was discovered by the producer William (Billy) Butt and she is perhaps best known in Sweden for her 1992 hit, '' Himlen runt hörnet'', written by Mauro Scocco and Johan ...

Kirsten Bråten Berg Kirsten Marie Bråten Berg (born 7 January 1950 in Arendal, Norway) is a Norwegian traditional folk singer, silversmith and government scholar. She is currently living in Valle in the Setesdal area of southern Norway. She trained as a silversmi ...

, Hallvard T. Bjørgum, Sondre Bratland,

Jahn Teigen Jahn Teigen (27 September 1949 – 24 February 2020) was a Norwegian singer, musician and comedian. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest three times, in 1978, 1982 and 1983, His given name was Jan; he added the silent H later. F ...

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, to mention some. Present (2013) he focuses his work around the concepts Bukkene Bruse, Secret Garden and Annbjørg Lien, besides working as a composer, producer, arranger, writer and lecturer on the rhythmic music and history.

Honors and Nominations

*Appointed as Olympic Musician by the International Olympic Committee in 1993 *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 1995 for Sissel Kyrkjebøe "Deepest in my Soul" (Arranger and musician) *Triple Platinum for the production "Innerst i Sjelen" (Arranger and musician) *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 1996 forBukkene Bruse "Åre" (Artist, arranger and musician) *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 1997 for Annbjørg Lien "Prisme" (Producer, composer, arranger and musician) *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 1998 for Bukkene Bruse "Steinstolen" (Producer, artist, composer, arranger and musician) *Prøysenprisen 1998 within the band Bukkene Bruse *Appointed to ambassador for the charity organisation Save the Children in 1999 together with Bukkene Bruse *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy NOPA awards 1999 for best song and arrangement for the composition "W". *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 2001 for Bukkene Bruse "Den Fagrasta Rosa" (Producer, artist, composer, arranger and musician) *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 2002 for Annbjørg Lien "Aliens Alive" (Producer, composer, arranger and musician) *Appointed to the first professor in Rhythmic music in Norway 2002 by international recognition *Member of Agder Academy of Sciences 2003 *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 2010 for Sondre Bratland/Annbjørg Lien "Alle Vegne" (Producer) *Nominated for Norwegian Grammy Spellemann 2012 for Annbjørg Lien "Khoom Loy" (Producer, composer, arranger and musician) *Gold Record for the production "Spellemann" for Elisabeth Andreassen 2009 (Producer, composer, arranger and musician) *Gold Record for the production "Julenatt" for Rein Alexander and Elisabeth Andreassen (Producer, composer, arranger and musician)

Discography (in selection)

;Within

*1993: ''

'' *1995: ''

Åre Åre () is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 3,200 inhabitants in 2018. It is, however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the local eco ...

'' (Grappa Music) *1998: '' Steinstolen'' (Grappa Music) *2001: '' Den Fagraste Rosa'' *2004: ''

Spel ''Spel'' (released February 9, 2004 on the Heilo catalog at the Grappa label – HCD 7188) is a live recording and the fifth album from the Norwegian folk band Bukkene Bruse. Review Bukkene Bruse, alone and in creative interaction, creates ne ...

'' ;With Secret Garden *1996: ''

Songs from a Secret Garden ''Songs from a Secret Garden'' is the first international album by Secret Garden. Released in 1996, it includes the Norwegian winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1995, "Nocturne". Reception The Allmusic reviewer Carol Wright awarded ...

'' (

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

) *1997: ''

White Stones White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

'' (Mercury) *1998: ''Fairytales – Highlights from Secret Garden'' (Mercury), compilation *1999: '' Dawn of a New Century'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

, Norway) *2000: '' Dreamcatcher: Best of Secret Garden'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

), compilation *2001: ''

Once in a Red Moon ''Once in a Red Moon'' (released 2001 by Universal Music – 548 678-2) is the fourth studio album by Secret Garden, excluding the compilation album ''Dreamcatcher'', a Best Of. The second track, "You Raise Me Up", has since been recorded by mo ...

'' (Universal Music) *2004: ''The Ultimate Secret Garden'' (Universal Music), Asia compilation *2005: '' Earthsongs'' (Universal Music) *2007: ''

Inside I'm Singing ''Inside I'm Singing'', released in 2007, is the ninth album by Secret Garden. Unlike previous albums, ''Inside I'm Singing'' is mostly composed of vocal music. Instrumental tracks given new lyrics. The first track, "Nocturne", won the Eurov ...

'' (Mercury) *2011: ''

Winter Poem ''Winter Poem'' is the 2011 and the 7th album by Secret Garden. Primarily an instrumental album, it features three songs with guest vocals: Moya Brennan of Clannad fame on "The Dream", Fionnuala Gill on "Mary’s Lament", and Tracey Campbell a ...

'' (Hearts of Space Records) ;With

*2003: ''40'' with artists Nico Widerberg, Ørnulf Opdahl, Kjell Nupen, Magne Furholmen and Per Fronth (Grappa/BIZ Music) *2005: '' Musikalen Emma'' (Agder Theatre Music) *2008: '' Roquebrune'' with artists Kjell Nupen, Magne Furholmen, Elisabeth Werp, Bjørg Thorilldotter and Per Fronth (Grappa/BIZ Music) *2008: '' Den Prektigkledde Sommerfugl'' (KK Music) *2009: '' Come Home'' (Grappa Music) *2002: '' Music & Art in a Box'' Annbjørg Lien/Bjørn Ole Rasch with artists Nico Widerberg, Ørnulf Opdahl, Tone Svaland Holberg og Per Fronth (Grappa/BIZ Records)

Other Productions

*1998: '' Hele Historien'' Jahn Teigen (EMI Records) *1999: ''

Baba Yaga In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga, also spelled Baba Jaga (from Polish), is a supernatural being (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who appears as a deformed and/or ferocious-looking woman. In fairy tales Baba Yaga flies around in a ...

'' Annbjørg Lien (Grappa/Norside Records) *2000: '' Northern Nights-Music from the Top of the World'' Diverse Artister (Norside Records) *2000: '' Nordic Roots'' Diverse Artister (Norside Records) *2001: '' Fragrance of Norway'' Annbjørg Lien (Dreamboat Records) *2002: '' Aliens Alive'' Annbjørg Lien (Grappa Records) *2002: ''II'' Orbina (DAT Records) *2006: ''9'' Iglo (FoM-R Records) *2007: ''Acoustic'' Diverse Artister (FoM-R Records) *2007: '' Gjenklang'' Diverse Artister (Heilo Records) *2009: '' Abes & Babes'' Abes & Babes (Grappa Records) *2008: ''

Spellemann Spellemann is a folk music album by Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreassen. It was released in Norway on 9 February 2009. On the album charts, it peaked at #6 in Norway and #45 in Sweden. Track listing #" Klinga mina klockor" #"Här är gudagott a ...

'' Elisabeth Andreassen (Grappa Music) *2009: ''

Julenatt Julenatt is a Christmas album by Elisabeth Andreassen and Rein Alexander, released in Norway on 16 November 2009, and followed up by a church tour. The album peaked at 11th position at the Norwegian. The album was recorded inside the Kongshavn St ...

'' Rein Alexander/Elisabeth Andreassen (EMI Records) *2010: '' Ein engel til jol'' Inger Lise Stulien (BMG Records) *2010: '' Alle vegne'' Sondre Bratland/Annbjørg Lien (Kirkelig Kulturverksted) *2010: ''

Killings (album) Killing, Killings, or The Killing may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Killing'' (film), a 2018 Japanese film * ''The Killing'' (film), a 1956 film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick Television * ''The Killing'' (Danish TV serie ...

'' Vilde Nupen (South Norwegian Jazz Records) *2010: '' As They Fill the Horizon'' Helene Bøksle/Torstein Sødal (TSR Records) *2011: '' Heim til jol'' Inger Lise Stulien (BMG Records) *2012: '' Kärleken & Livet'' Elisabeth Andreassen (Grappa Records) *2013: '' Min vår'' Inger Lise Stulien (BMG Records) *2013: '' Sgrow'' Sgrow (Karmakosmetix Records) *2013: '' Khoom Loy'' Annbjørg Lien (Grappa Records)

References

External links

*
Kongshavn Studios WebsiteSecret Garden Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rasch, Bjorn Ole Norwegian composers Norwegian male composers 1959 births Musicians from Elverum Musicians from Kristiansand Living people Academic staff of the University of Agder Heilo Music artists Norwegian male pianists 21st-century pianists 21st-century Norwegian male musicians