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Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also known abroad as Sissel, is a Norwegian
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
. She is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs to classical vocals and operatic
aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
s. She rose to prominence in Norway in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and her cover version of Ole Paus' song " Innerst i sjelen" (Deep in My Soul) gained wide popularity in the 1990s. She is well known for singing the
Olympic Hymn The Olympic Hymn (, ), also known as the Olympic Anthem, is a choral cantata by opera composer Spyridon Samaras (1861–1917), with Demotic Greek lyrics by Greek poet Kostis Palamas. Both poet and composer were the choice of the Greek Deme ...
(Hymne Olympique) at the opening and closing ceremonies of the
1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, were an international winter multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Hav ...
in
Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...
, Norway; for duets with
Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
and
Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...
at the Christmas in Vienna concert of 1994,
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...
,
Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
,
Bryn Terfel Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...
,
Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...
,
Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
, Mario Frangoulis,
Russell Watson Russell Watson (born 24 November 1966) is an English crossover/popular singer, almost in the tenor range, who has released singles and albums of both quasi-operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after per ...
,
Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
,
Tommy Körberg Bert Gustav Tommy Körberg (; born 4 July 1948) is a Swedish singer, actor and musician. English-speaking audiences know him best for his role as Anatoly/"The Russian" in the musical ''Chess''. He played the role on the 1984 concept album, and ...
,
Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...
,
Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and DJ who helped popularize West Coast hip hop during the 1990s.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. ...
,
Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...
, and
The Chieftains The Chieftains were 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 w ...
; and for her participation on the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
'' film soundtrack. Sissel received her first US
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
nominations on 6 December 2007 for a collaboration with the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...
. '' Spirit of the Season,'' a collection of songs from the choir's 2006 Christmas concert at Temple Square, was nominated for the Best Classical Crossover Album of the Year as well as Best Engineered Classical Album. Sissel's combined solo record sales—not including soundtracks and other albums to which she contributed—amount to 10 million albums, most of them in Norway, a country with 5 million people. Her albums have also sold well in Sweden, Denmark, and Japan. She and Odd Nordstoga are the only Norwegian artists to have an album go 11 times platinum in album sales for ''Strålande Jul'' (Glorious Christmas). Although Sissel sings mainly in English and Norwegian, she has also sung in Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Irish, Italian, French, Russian, Icelandic, Faroese, German, Neapolitan, Māori, Japanese, and Latin. In Norway she is mostly known as Sissel Kyrkjebø, her last name meaning "church farm" or "church field". She started using her first name mononymously abroad later in her career.


Early life

Sissel grew up in Lønborg in
Bergen Municipality Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
with two older brothers, Eirik and Bjørn. She and her parents often took hikes in the mountains surrounding Bergen. In her early years she wanted to be a nurse, but at the age of nine music became her passion. She joined her first children's choir under the direction of New Zealand-born conductor Felicity Laurence. She stayed with the choir for seven years and said of her experience, "That was my musical education. We sang everything: classical and jazz, folk and even Māori songs. People said we sounded like an angel choir because we had this very clean pure sound, almost like an English boys' choir." Sissel won her first local talent competition when she was ten. She was influenced by various musical genres; her parents were interested in
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
and classical music and her brothers in rock music. She has also stated that
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
,
Kathleen Battle Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...
, and
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...
were inspirations. Her first name " Sissel" is a Norwegian variant of "Cecilia". This is a popular first name from
Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...
, the patron saint of church music. Her last name, meaning "church farm" or "church field", may be derived from an agricultural property owned by or located near the local church.


Career


1983–1985: First television appearances, ''Syng med oss''

In 1980, she appeared in the sing-along program ''Syng med oss'' (Sing with us) together with a children's choir. Her first solo appearance was in 1984, when she sang the Norwegian folk song "Ung Åslaug". Sissel performed in this program many times until 1989. Her first solo television appearance without the choir was in 1983 on Norwegian television, with the song "Evergreen" in the children's program '. Later in the same year, she and Rune Larsen, her later manager, guested the television program ' ("Do You Remember?"), hosted by Odd Grythe, in which she performed "Barndomshjemmet" (Childhood Home) and "
Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is prepared and served in the '' nabemono'' (Japanese hot pot) style. It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in ...
". Her signature song has been "
Å, Vestland, Vestland "Å, Vestland, Vestland" ("Oh Vestland, Vestland") is a Norwegian song praising the region of Western Norway (Vestland). The lyrics were written in Nynorsk by Tore Ørjasæter in 1910 and the music was composed by Sigurd Førsund. The most well k ...
" (O, Westland, Westland) ever since she first sang it on ''Syng med oss'' in 1985.


1986–1994: Rise to prominence in Norway, ''Sissel'', ''Soria Moria,'' and ''Innerst i sjelen''

In January 1986, Sissel appeared on the Norwegian television show ''Kanal 1'', hosted by Ivar Dyrhaug. She performed " You Don't Bring Me Flowers", by
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
, and later, in February, she performed " Comin' In and Out of Your Life" on the '' 1986 Alpine Skiing World Cup'' television show in Norway. In May, Sissel performed " Bergensiana" during the intermission of the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, which took place in Grieg Hall in her home town of
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
. That was her big breakthrough and in the same year, her first album, '' Sissel'', was released. It sold more than 500,000 copies, making it the best-selling album in Norway at that time. In 1987, Sissel made her debut on Danish television on ''Under Uret'', hosted by Hans Otto Bisgaard. She performed two songs: "Vårvise" (Springtime), with Danish singer/composer Sebastian, and " Summertime". Later that year, in November, Sissel released her Christmas album '' Glade Jul'' (Merry Christmas) with several traditional
Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...
s. It broke her previous record for best-selling album in Norway, and still holds the record. Upon its release, it sold more than 600,000 copies in a country with a population of fewer than 5 million. To date, it has sold approximately 1 million copies. In Sweden, a Swedish-language version was released, called ''Stilla natt'' (Silent Night). Norwegian newspaper ''
Dagbladet () is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally it was considered the main liberal newspaper of Norway, with a ...
'' honored her as "The Name of the Year" in December. Sissel also was invited that year to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, but she declined, wanting a break from her music career. She attended a commercial upper-secondary school in Bergen, but in February of 1988 she performed at the memorial concert for singer/songwriter Trygve Henrik Hoff in
Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
. He had written several of the songs on her debut album, '' Sissel,'' from 1986 but died in 1987. In the fall of 1988, Sissel moved to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
for a short period to play the role of
Maria von Trapp Maria Augusta von Trapp Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), DHS (; 26 January 1905 – 28 March 1987), often styled as "Baroness", was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family, Trapp Family Singers. She wrote ''The Story of the ...
in the Norwegian version of ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
''. This production set box-office records and was seen by over 110,000 people. In 1989, she released her third album, '' Soria Moria'', named after a Norwegian fairy tale, which sold 180,000 copies. In the summer of the same year, Sissel travelled to the US and performed in New York City on the television program '' Artists for Our Common Future'', which was broadcast around the world, singing " Summertime" and "
Somewhere Somewhere may refer to: Music Albums * ''Somewhere'' (Eva Cassidy album) or the title song, 2008 * ''Somewhere'' (Keith Jarrett album), 2013 * '' Somewhere – The Songs of Sondheim and Bernstein'', by Marina Prior, 1994 * ''Somewhere'', or ...
". On a Swedish television concert recorded in
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, she met Danish comedian and singer Eddie Skoller, whom she later married, at which they sang "Vårvise" (Springtime) by Sebastian. In 1990, Sissel recorded the singing parts of the character Princess Ariel for the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish versions of the 1989 Disney movie ''
The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...
'', and played the voice role of Ariel in the Norwegian and Swedish versions. In the same year Sissel visited the Faeroe Islands, developing a project called "Kystland" (Coastland). It resulted in two television programs, ''Med Sissel til Kirkjubø'' (With Sissel to Kirkjubø) and the church concert Tidin rennur (Time is Running Out). In December 1990, Sissel opened the new concert hall in Oslo,
Oslo Spektrum Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway, that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Nova Spektrum, formerly Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major e ...
, at the Christmas concert Å gi er å se (To Give Is to See) . In 1991, Sissel toured Norway and Denmark with her very successful church concert Tidin rennur (Time is Running Out). In the fall of 1991, Sissel met and performed with
Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
on the Norwegian television show '' Momarkedet'', singing Sedaka's song "
Solitaire Solitaire may refer to: Film and television *'' Le Solitaire'', a 1987 French film * ''Solitaire'' (1991 film), a Canadian drama film * ''Solitaire'' (2008 film), a drama film *''Solitaire'', 2016 Lebanese comedy film with Bassam Kousa *"Solit ...
" while he played the piano. He was very impressed, and they collaborated on her next album, '' Gift of Love,'' which would come out the next year as her first album featuring only songs with English lyrics. On it Sissel sang three songs written by Sedaka, including a duet with him on " Breaking Up Is Hard To Do". In the winter of 1992, Sissel made a short appearance at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Albertville, France. Dressed as a princess and seated on a giant fake polar bear as in the Norwegian folktale '' Kvitebjørn kong Valemon'' (White Bear King Valemon), she performed "Molde Canticle" (Molde is the name of the location of an annual music festival in Norway) by
Jan Garbarek Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music. Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Gar ...
. She was also named one of the official musicians for the upcoming 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. In October, Sissel's album ''Gift of Love'' was released but sold only 60,000 copies, receiving criticism for her new style. Later that year, she joined
Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
on his fall tour in Norway and also did several event performances in the US. In the summer of 1993, Sissel played the role of Solveig in ''
Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...
,'' by
Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
, at Den Nationale Scene (The National Scene) in Bergen, a performance that was very well received by critics. Later, in August, her marriage to Eddie Skoller took place in Mariakirken (St. Mary's Church) in Bergen. Thousands of fans waited in the rain outside the church to get a glimpse of Sissel after the wedding ceremony. The wedding received a great deal of attention from the Norwegian and Danish press. In February 1994, Sissel performed during the opening and closing ceremonies of the
1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, were an international winter multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Hav ...
in
Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...
.
During the Olympics, legendary Spanish tenor
Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
visited Norway, where he came across one of her earlier albums. He contacted Sissel and the next day they recorded " Se ilden lyse (Fire in Your Heart), Fire in Your Heart", an English version of "Se ilden lyse", the official theme song of the Lillehammer Olympics. These two versions of the song were released in February 1994 on Sissel's solo album '' Innerst i sjelen'' (Deep in My Soul), a collection of Nordic
folk song 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 ca ...
s. Domingo invited Sissel, along with world-renowned French singer
Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...
, to take part in his annual Christmas in Vienna concert later that year. The concert was broadcast around the world and released as an album internationally.


1995–2001: Climb to international recognition, ''All Good Things'' and ''In Symphony''

In 1995, Sissel was invited to perform at the 1995 Live For Peace – Royal Gala in London. In celebration of 50 years since VE Day—the end of World War II in Europe—she performed before Charles, then Prince of Wales and other Royal Family members in the
London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...
, singing the renowned aria " O Mio Babbino Caro" (O My Dear Papa) from the opera '' Gianni Schicchi'' by
Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...
, and the Norwegian classic "Vitae Lux" (Light of Life) with the choir Gli Scapoli (The Bachelors). In 1997, Sissel toured the US with the Irish group
The Chieftains The Chieftains were 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 w ...
. They appeared, among other places, on the
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
and in
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
. Later that summer, Sissel was involved in recording the soundtrack to the film ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
''. The soundtrack, titled '' Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture'', became immensely popular, reaching No. 1 on the
Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ' ...
and selling more than 30 million copies worldwide.
James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American film composer. He worked on more than 160 film and television productions between 1978 and 2015. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements alongside tr ...
, the composer of the film's music, knew Sissel from her album '' Innerst i sjelen'' (Deep in My Soul) and he particularly liked how she sang '' Eg veit i himmerik ei borg'' (I know in Heaven there is a castle). Horner had tried out 25 or 30 singers before deciding on Sissel. She was then scheduled to record the
theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
to
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
's 1997 blockbuster film ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
'', but
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
's vocals were preferred due to Horner's decision to support Dion's career. In an interview from December 2014, Horner said: "When I had completed the ''Titanic''
ovie Ovie is a given name, nickname and surname. It translates to king in the Isoko language of Delta State in southern Nigeria. Nickname * Alexander Ovechkin (born 1985), Russian ice hockey player * Ovie Alston (1905–1989), American jazz trumpete ...
I had to decide for Celine Dion or Sissel s ocals Sissel I am very close, while Celine I had known since she was 18, and I had already written three film songs for er But that was before Celine was known and filmmakers and marketing people had not done what they should have done for Celine and ersongs. So I felt I owed her a ''Titanic'' chance, but I could
till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
have used Sissel there." Instead, Sissel completed much of the
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
for the soundtrack album. Sissel had a No.1 hit across Europe in 1998 with " Prince Igor", a duet with an American rapper
Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and DJ who helped popularize West Coast hip hop during the 1990s.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. ...
on the concept album ''
The Rapsody Overture ''The Rapsody Overture: Hip Hop Meets Classic'' is a concept album of remixes consisting of hip hop and classical, which combined American rappers with European opera singers. It was released in 1997 by Mercury Records and distributed by Def Jam ...
'', which combined American rappers with European opera singers. She sang an
aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
from
Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 183327 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as " The Five", a group dedicated to prod ...
's opera '' Prince Igor'' during the chorus, while Warren G rapped. When the song was recorded, she had just a half hour to learn the Russian lyrics. She got help from a Russian taxi driver in New York City—whose name, coincidentally, was Igor. Although she had been on her way to the airport, the taxi driver drove her directly to the studio and followed her in. He helped her sing the Russian words correctly while she recorded her part of the lyrics. In the end, he was satisfied and they made it to the airport afterwards. On
St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...
that year, Sissel made her second performance on the ''Late Show'', singing "Love, Will You Marry Me?" with
The Chieftains The Chieftains were 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 w ...
. In 1999, Sissel started working on a new album with producer Rick Chertoff, and travelled between
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
and New York. Although the CD was to be released in 2000, she was unhappy with the results of the recording sessions and scrapped the album. That year she sang the
Irish Gaelic Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigeno ...
song '' Siúil A Rún'' on
The Chieftains The Chieftains were 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 w ...
' 1999 album '' Tears of Stone''. At the beginning of 2000,
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
was designated as the "European city of culture" and Sissel performed at the opening ceremony. In May, as a part of
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
's Nattjazz Festival'','' she performed at a concert at which she sang several duets with jazz singer
Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...
. In November 2000, Sissel released (in Norway only) her album, '' All Good Things'', which was her first
solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century ...
in nearly seven years. Following high sales of 300,000 copies, the album was released throughout Europe and Asia the following year, including a
duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
with fellow Norwegian singer
Espen Lind Espen Lind (born 13 May 1971) is a Norwegian record producer, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage, and together with his long time partner Amund Bjorklund he has written and/or produced ...
on " Where the Lost Ones Go" that was also released on his album ''
This Is Pop Music ''This Is Pop Music'' is the third album by the Norwegian singer/songwriter Espen Lind Espen Lind (born 13 May 1971) is a Norwegian record producer, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage ...
'' the next year. In early December, Sissel performed
Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...
s and a few of her new tunes at the Festival of Lights (Lysfest) in
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
, culminating the city's celebration of being the European city of culture and broadcast live online. Later the same month, she was invited to represent Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, where—after being introduced by
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
as "the Norwegian star Sissel"—she sang "One Day" and "Weightless", both songs from her album '' All Good Things''. Sissel also released a greatest-hits collection in Japan that included two new songs in collaboration with Gheorghe Zamfir, a Romanian pan-flutist. These songs were used on the Japanese television show '' Summer Snow'', one of which was the show's theme song. Enormously popular in Japan, Sissel has released several Japanese versions of her albums there. In 2001, Sissel was asked to sing a
duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
with the Danish goth rockers Sort Sol (Black Sun). Inspired by the
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
/
Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
" Where the Wild Roses Grow", she sang with Sort Sol on the track "Elia Rising" from their album ''Snakecharmer'', released in May 2001. She and this group also performed together at Tivoli in Copenhagen and the
Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...
that year—at the latter, before a raucous audience of 50,000 rock fans at 2 am. Sissel made her debut on the big screen in June, playing a female
lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...
, Inga, in the Danish children's film " Flyvende farmor" (Flying Grandma). In this movie, Sissel sang the Danish song "Himlen over Himmelbjerget" (The Sky above Himmelbjerget). In September, Sissel played two In Symphony concerts in
Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, 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 villages such ...
, Norway, with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and special guests. The concert was broadcast in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark and was also released as a
live CD A live CD (also live DVD, live disc, or live operating system) is a complete booting, bootable computer installation including operating system which runs directly from a CD-ROM or similar storage device into a computer's memory, rather than lo ...
, '' Sissel in Symphony'', which sold 240,000 copies. Later in autumn 2001, Sissel toured
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
and sang at a memorial ceremony in October at
Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (, ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, as well as the wider Øresund Region, including Zealand and the southern Sweden, Swedish province of Scania. In 2023 it was the largest ai ...
. Sissel then performed at a memorial concert for a 17-year-old boy, Benjamin Hermansen, the victim of a racially motivated murder in a suburb of
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. She also performed at an AIDS/HIV benefit concert in
Kulturkirken Jakob Kulturkirken Jakob (in English St. James Church of Culture) is a church in Oslo, Norway, designed by architect Georg Andreas Bull and built in 1880. The original name of the Church was St James's Church or Jakobs kirke. The church is named after t ...
(Jacob Culture Church), Oslo, where she sang " Eg ser" (I See). On 6 December, Sissel performed with the Oslo Gospel Choir in Washington, DC, as part of Norwegian Visions 2001.


2002–2008: More international success, ''My Heart'', ''Nordisk Vinternatt'' and ''Into Paradise''

In 2002, Sissel recorded two duets, "
Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...
" (Hail Mary) and "Bist du Bei Mir" (Are You with Me) (BWV 508), with
Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
in April for his ''Sacred Songs'' album, released in September of that year. On 24 May 2002, dressed in traditional Norwegian costume, Sissel performed the Norwegian
psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...
"Lær meg å kjenne" (Get to Know Me) at the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and
Ari Behn Ari Mikael Behn (; , or ; 30 September 1972 – 25 December 2019) was a Norwegian author, playwright, and visual artist, best known for his marriage to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017. He held no title or special status, an ...
in the
Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral () is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II ( 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of th ...
. In August, Sissel performed with the Danish Radio Orchestra at two outdoor concerts in the park surrounding Ledreborg Castle near
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
in Denmark. In addition to the orchestra, Sissel entertained the sold-out crowd of 22,000, along with guest artists such as
Paddy Moloney Paddy Moloney (; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was particularly associated with the re ...
and The Pilatze Brothers. On 1 October 2002, Sissel released her first album in the US, which sold over 100,000 copies in its first three months of release with hardly any advertising or marketing
—better than Decca Records, Decca record executives had expected, their initial goal having been 100,000 copies in the first ''nine'' months. The album, titled ''Sissel'', was largely a re-recording of songs from her Norwegian album, '' All Good Things'' with the addition of two songs, "
Solitaire Solitaire may refer to: Film and television *'' Le Solitaire'', a 1987 French film * ''Solitaire'' (1991 film), a Canadian drama film * ''Solitaire'' (2008 film), a drama film *''Solitaire'', 2016 Lebanese comedy film with Bassam Kousa *"Solit ...
" and " Shenandoah". In late 2002, one of Sissel's concerts was filmed at the
Oslo Spektrum Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway, that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Nova Spektrum, formerly Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major e ...
and later broadcast on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in the US in March 2003. Among her guests was British singer
Russell Watson Russell Watson (born 24 November 1966) is an English crossover/popular singer, almost in the tenor range, who has released singles and albums of both quasi-operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after per ...
. The production was subsequently released as the DVD ''Sissel in Concert''. In December 2002, she was once again invited to represent Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, at which she sang " Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from '' The Wizard of Oz'' and " The Prayer" in a duet with
Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...
. Sissel closed out 2002 by performing at a Christmas concert, Christmas in Moscow 2003, in Moscow, Russia with
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...
,
Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
, and Emma Shapplin. The concert garnered mixed reviews from the Russian media, although Sissel received all-around high marks. Originally broadcast on Russian television, it was released on CD in October 2014. In April 2003, Sissel performed in Tokyo, Japan. During April and May, she also toured the US, visiting
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, and New York City. A Poulsen rose—a rose bred to thrive in cold Scandinavian winters—was named after Sissel on 10 August in Denmark with the accolade, "She spreads joy among all of us with her wonderful voice". During the award ceremony in the garden of Haraldsted Church, Sissel performed " The Rose", "Vatnet, våren, fela", and " Solveig's Song". Later that year, she sang with Swedish singer
Peter Jöback Peter Arne Jöback (born 4 June 1971) is a Swedish singer, actor and musical artist. Jöback has acted in musical theatre, with lead roles in West End productions of ''Miss Saigon'' and ''The Witches of Eastwick''. He is also known for his port ...
on the Christmas single " Gå inte forbi" (Don't Pass By) for his new holiday CD and also guested him on his Christmas tour in Sweden. Sissel released her second US album, ''My Heart'', in March 2004. It was a
classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to Musical composition, musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience, audiences. This can be seen, for example, when a song appears on two or more of the record chart, record charts, which tr ...
album, including two pop songs written by
Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...
and one
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
, "Wait A While", written by Jon Lord of
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
. ''My Heart'' reached No. 3 on the Billboard Classical Album Chart after debuting at No. 7 and spent 31 weeks there. In the summer and fall of 2004, Sissel went on tour with The Lord of the Rings Symphony.
She was a featured Solo (music), soloist for an orchestral performance dedicated to the music from ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'' films. ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'' composer
Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer, conductor and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and '' The Hobbit'' fi ...
, who arranged and conducted the music, planned on hiring three
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
singers to handle the vocal chores, but after hearing Sissel, decided she would be enough. At each performance, Sissel performed with a symphony orchestra and choirs with 200 musicians on stage. Shore commented: "Ancient Norwegian mythology and culture had a great influence on Tolkien's work. It is very thrilling to have the Norwegian singer Sissel perform as a soloist in The Lord of the Rings Symphony. Sissel's radiant voice illuminates this work." When asked about the tour in an interview, Sissel replied: "I love the music. It's such a wonderful feeling to be sitting in the middle of a symphony orchestra, surrounded by the beautiful voices of the choir and all those gorgeous melodies."
In May 2005, Sissel performed with the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
, Utah, on its radio and television broadcast, ''
Music and the Spoken Word Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies. Definitions of musi ...
'', featured on nearly 2,000 stations across the US and around the world. She joined the
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
to commemorate the centennial of Norwegian independence from Sweden, which was being celebrated that year. She sang the
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
song " Like An Angel Passing Through My Room"; "Vitae Lux" (Light of Life); the traditional Norwegian
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
"Herre gud, ditt dyre navn og ære" (Lord God, Your Precious Name and Glory); and the Norwegian national anthem "
Ja, vi elsker dette landet "" (; ) is the national anthem of Norway. Originally a patriotic song, it became commonly regarded as the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century after being used alongside "" since the 1860s. It was officially adopted in ...
" (Yes, We Love This Country) with the choir. On 8 October 2005, King Harald of Norway made Sissel a Knight of the 1st Class in the
Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...
for her contributions to music and as an ambassador for Norway. She was 36 years old. The ceremony was held on 25 January at the Hotel Bristol in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. In the same month, Sissel was invited to perform in the well-known temple-concert,
Ninna-ji is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. Located in western Kyoto, Japan, it was first founded in AD 888 by Emperor Uda, and was later reconstructed in the 17th century. It is part of the Historic Monuments of ...
Otobutai, in
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, Japan, where she sang " Pie Jesu" (Merciful Jesus); "Sancta Maria" ( Holy Mary, an intermezzo from
Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece '' Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ...
's opera ''
Cavalleria Rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; ) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 Cavalleria rusticana (short story), short story of the same name and subsequent ...
''); "
You Raise Me Up "You Raise Me Up" is a song composed by Rolf Løvland with lyrics by Brendan Graham. It was first recorded by Secret Garden, in collaboration with Brian Kennedy. Although the original version was not a major hit, the song has since been rec ...
"; and several other songs. This concert was aired on television in Japan. In December 2006, Sissel again joined the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...
as the featured Solo (music), soloist for its annual Christmas concerts. In four performances, she sang for more than 80,000 people in the 21,000-seat
Conference Center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
. The concerts were videotaped for
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television and aired the year after, in December 2007. She also celebrated more than 20 years in the music industry with the release of a greatest-hits album presenting 40 of her best and most well-known songs, including some never before released. In December she toured Norway with her Christmas concerts, including a mix of
Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...
s and hits from her greatest-hits release that year. In March 2007, a statistically representative sample of the Norwegian population chose Sissel as the best female Norwegian musical artist in competition with 15 other famous names, including
Lene Marlin Lene Marlin Pedersen (born 17 August 1980) is a Norwegian musician, singer and songwriter. Career ''Playing My Game'' (1998–2002) Marlin made her Norwegian recording debut on 12 October 1998, with the single "Unforgivable Sinner", a number on ...
,
Wenche Myhre Wenche Synnøve Myhre (born 15 February 1947), known in German as Wencke Myhre, is a Norwegian singer who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, Danish, German and Swedish markets and languages. She represented Ger ...
, Kari Bremnes, and Bertine Zetlitz. In the summer of 2007, she toured Norway, Sweden, and the US with a band but without a
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
. According to Sissel, this was a new concert format for her. For the 2007 holiday season,
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
stations aired two concerts starring her as part of the December pledge drive, one with the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...
titled Spirit of the Season, released on CD and DVD in late September 2007; the other with operatic legend and good friend
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...
titled ''Northern Lights'', released on CD and DVD in early November 2007. These concert albums have proven to be extremely popular, with ''Northern Lights'' reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Classical Crossover list and '' Spirit of the Season'' staying firmly planted at No.1 on the Billboard Classical charts
for nine consecutive weeks. The album ''Northern Lights'' is a live recording of a concert at Røros Church, Bergstadens Ziir ("Jewel of the Mountain Town" in German), a church from the 17th century in Røros, Norway, a 17th-century mining town. This recording was inspired by Norway's winter, the Blue hour, and the mystical Northern Lights, with music arranged by Kjetil Bjerkestrand.Sharing the stage with Sissel were the
Trondheim Soloists Trondheim Soloists () are a musical chamber ensemble of string players based in Trondheim, Norway. The ensemble was founded in 1988 and has been an arena for professional concert training for string-players at the Music Conservatory at the Norwe ...
, the
Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral () is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II ( 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of th ...
Girls Choir, and Sissel's own band and featuring the tenor
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...
, performing the
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...
/
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
-
duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
" When You Tell Me That You Love Me" with Sissel. She conducted an eight-city US tour in February 2008, singing selections from ''Northern Lights''.
A second leg of the tour covered more cities in the central and southern US and lasted through April.


2009–present: New influences and break from music, ''Strålande Jul'' and ''Til deg''

On 9 November 2009, Sissel released a new Christmas album called ''Strålande Jul'' (Glorious Christmas), a project with Odd Nordstoga, another popular Norwegian singer. This album presented mostly lesser-known
Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...
s from
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
. Sissel toured in both Norway and Sweden with Nordstoga; The Real Group; Orsa Spelmän; and Krister Henrikson. This album and their sold-out Christmas concerts received much critical acclaim in Norway and Sweden. The record company Universal Music anticipated sales of about 100,000 CDs but ultimately sold more than 400,000 in Norway in the first two months. In May 2010, Sissel visited China with the
Trondheim Soloists Trondheim Soloists () are a musical chamber ensemble of string players based in Trondheim, Norway. The ensemble was founded in 1988 and has been an arena for professional concert training for string-players at the Music Conservatory at the Norwe ...
, appearing at
Expo 2010 Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the ...
in Shanghai. They performed songs like "Jag vill alltid følja dig" (I Always Want to Follow You), " Solveig's Song", and "Wait A While". Parts of these concerts were broadcast on Norwegian television in the summer of 2010. On 20 September 2010, an
unauthorized biography An unauthorized biography, sometimes called a kiss-and-tell, or a tell-all, is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after ...
of Sissel titled ''Sissel'' by Stig Nilsson was released in Norway. He had written several songs for Sissel earlier in her career. In the book, Nilsson claims—among other things—that Sissel never became a worldwide superstar because she did not want to be. The book has been released only in Norwegian. On 15 November 2010, Sissel released a new album in
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
called "Til deg" (For You), recorded in
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
's Polar Studios in Stockholm; Nidaros Studios in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
; and
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. This album showed a new direction in music heavily influenced by the style of
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
, roots, and folk. The album featured five songs in Swedish, three in Norwegian, and two in English, including a Norwegian translation of Victoria Shaw's song "Never Alone" titled "Velkommen hjem", and a Swedish cover of
Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...
' song " Ghost in This House" titled "Levande död". Collaborating with Sissel on the new album were Mikael Wiehe,
Espen Lind Espen Lind (born 13 May 1971) is a Norwegian record producer, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage, and together with his long time partner Amund Bjorklund he has written and/or produced ...
, and Py Bäckman. In 2011 Sissel moved back to Norway after 22 years in Denmark. On 21 August 2011, Sissel performed the Norwegian hymn " Til ungdommen" (To the Youth), by
Nordahl Grieg Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg (1 November 1902 – 2 December 1943) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and activism, political activist. He was a popular author and a controversial public figure. He served in World War II as a war c ...
at the National Memorial Ceremony for the victims of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks. This ceremony took place in
Oslo Spektrum Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway, that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Nova Spektrum, formerly Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major e ...
and was broadcast live in all the Nordic countries. HM King Harald and HM Queen Sonja of Norway attended this ceremony with members from all the Nordic Royal Houses; the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; and the presidents of Iceland and Finland. In September, Sissel got her own stamp in Norway when a set of stamps of four Norwegian female performers was issued. In December 2012, Sissel performed exclusively in two free Christmas concerts in St John's Church, Bergen. This was the first time she performed a Christmas concert on her own in that church. In November 2013, Sissel officially returned to the stage after a three-year break. She appeared on the Norwegian talk show ''Lindmo'', where she performed "My Tribute" by Andrae Crouch. She toured Norway in November and December for her Christmas concerts, with a new mix of Christmas and gospel songs, hiring three gospel singers from New York to back her up on these concerts. On 17 May 2014, Sissel performed the Norwegian national anthem "
Ja, vi elsker dette landet "" (; ) is the national anthem of Norway. Originally a patriotic song, it became commonly regarded as the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century after being used alongside "" since the 1860s. It was officially adopted in ...
" (Yes, We Love This Land) and
Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of N ...
's " Våren" (Spring) on the Norwegian Constitution Day 2014 in
Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...
, Norway. Royal guests from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark attended this ceremony, which was broadcast live on television. Later, in September, Sissel performed with the Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis at a concert on 5 September at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Greece. This concert, Sing Me An Angel, was held to aid the non-profit organisation I Live For Me. Sissel and Frangoulis performed several duets, including "
You Raise Me Up "You Raise Me Up" is a song composed by Rolf Løvland with lyrics by Brendan Graham. It was first recorded by Secret Garden, in collaboration with Brian Kennedy. Although the original version was not a major hit, the song has since been rec ...
"; " Nights in White Satin"; "
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
"; and "
What A Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong on August 16, 1967. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed p ...
". Sissel toured Norway and Sweden with her acclaimed Christmas concerts in November and December. In the fifth episode of Season 3 of American television political drama series ''The Newsroom'', which aired in December, a recording of Sissel singing " Oh Shenandoah" was played over the death scene of Charlie Skinner (
Sam Waterston Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television, and film. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actor ...
). In 2015 Sissel performed as vocal soloist at two Titanic Live concerts in
Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
, Switzerland on 13 and 14 March, and later at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 27 April, where she performed the vocal lines of
James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American film composer. He worked on more than 160 film and television productions between 1978 and 2015. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements alongside tr ...
's orchestral score as well as the solo soprano for "
My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...
". A few weeks later Horner died when his single-engine Tucano aircraft crashed in the
Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...
, California. In December 2015, Sissel was as one of nine persons nominated for the 2016 Hall of Fame at Rockheim in Norway. The beginning of 2016 saw Sissel performing at a television broadcast Royal Gala on 17 January, celebrating the 25th anniversary, or Silver Jubilee, of HM The King and HM The Queen of Norway's accession to the Norwegian throne. Sissel sang "For alltid" (Forever), written by Ole Paus. She toured Sweden in the fall from 14 to 31 October with her new concert, Songs of Love. In November and December, she toured Norway, Denmark and Iceland with her Christmas concert, Sissels Jul (Sissel's Christmas). In December, Sissel again was nominated for the 2017 Hall of Fame at Rockheim in Norway, and the 2014 PBS concert Sing Me An Angel with Mario Frangoulis was broadcast on television in the US. In February 2017 Sissel performed at a television broadcast celebration concert for her friend singer-songwriter Ole Paus in the Opera House in Oslo. And in November/December she toured Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland with her Christmas concert success, Sissels Jul. In May 2019 Sissel released the first of 50 new songs that came out each week for the following 50 weeks. This new project, named '' Reflections'' celebrated Sissel turning 50 years old that year. On 6 June, she performed together with Italian singer
Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
at a concert in Oslo. In July, she was again invited to perform with the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...
and the orchestra at Temple Square in their Pioneer Day concert, which was also broadcast on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. In August, she made a special guest appearance on the popular Swedish television show ''
Allsång på Skansen ''Allsång på Skansen'' (''Sing-along at Skansen'') is a Sweden, Swedish show held at Skansen, Stockholm, every summer on Tuesdays between 8pm and 9pm. The audience is encouraged to sing-along, sing along with musical guest stars to well-known ...
'', where she performed two new songs, " Welcome to My World" and " Surrender".


Personal life

From 1993 to 2004, Kyrkjebø was married to her first husband, Danish-American comedian and singer Eddie Skoller, in a church service described above. They have two daughters, Ingrid (born 1996) and Sarah (born 1999). On 13 August 2013, Kyrkjebø married her second husband, Norwegian tax lawyer Ernst Ravnaas, in a private ceremony in Hov Church.


Discography

* Unreleased/Rare/Unfinished/Performed songs by Sissel Kyrkjebø


Notable concerts and tours


Awards and recognition

* 1986 – '' Årets Spellemann (Spellemann of the Year)'' in the
Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...
. * 1986 – '' Årets navn'' (Person of the Year) by Norwegian national newspaper
Dagbladet () is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally it was considered the main liberal newspaper of Norway, with a ...
. * 1986 – ''På gang''-scholarship from Norwegian national newspaper VG, with Åge Aleksandersen * 1990 – ''Ansgarskolens Mediapris'' (Ansgarschool's Mediaprize), with Oslo Gospel Choir for the 1990 album '' Oslo Gospel Choir Live'' * 1992 – ''Klods Hans Prisen'' * 1993 – ''Gledespiken-prisen'' * 1995 – '' Paul Harris Fellow'' by
Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...
* 2002 – Ranked ''Scandinavia's Mostselling Artist'' with a total of 460,000 records sold in 18 months, for the albums '' In Symphony'' and '' Sissel'' * 2005 –
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status, and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and activists, advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The UNICEF, ...
* 2005 – ''Knight of the 1st Class in the
Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...
''. On 8 October 2005, the King of Norway knighted Sissel for her contributions to music and as an ambassador for Norway. She was the youngest-ever recipient of this honor. * 2006 – ''Juryens hederspris'' (Most Distinguished Artist—akin to a lifetime achievement award) in Spellemannprisen 2006. She was the youngest Norwegian performer ever to receive this award. * 2007 – ''Topp 10 – Beste kvinnelige artist'' Sissel was awarded ''Best Female Artist of Norway'' by the Norwegian public broadcasting company
NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
in the television program ''Topp 10'' on 17 March 2007. * 2009 – A rose developed by Poulsen Roses is named after Sissel and she baptized the rose in Baroniet Rosendal on 4 August 2009. * 2010 – In February 2010 Sissel was nominated for the 40th Peer Gynt Award, which went to Dissimilis. * 2011 – On 16 September 2011, a set of stamps of four Norwegian female performers (Sissel Kyrkjebø,
Wenche Myhre Wenche Synnøve Myhre (born 15 February 1947), known in German as Wencke Myhre, is a Norwegian singer who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, Danish, German and Swedish markets and languages. She represented Ger ...
, Mari Boine and Inger Lise Rypdal) was issued. * 2011 – Rolf Gammleng-prisen (Open category) * 2015 – In December 2015, Sissel was nominated for the first time for the Rockheim Hall of Fame 2016. * 2016 – In December 2016, Sissel was nominated for the second time for the Rockheim Hall of Fame 2017. * 2018 – In December 2018 Sissel was nominated for the third time for the Rockheim Hall of Fame 2019.


See also

* Sissel & Odd


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyrkjebo, Sissel 1969 births Living people Musicians from Bergen 21st-century Norwegian women singers 21st-century Norwegian singers Norwegian Lutherans Norwegian sopranos Opera crossover singers Norwegian-language singers English-language singers from Norway German-language singers of Norway Italian-language singers of Norway French-language singers of Norway Swedish-language singers of Norway Russian-language singers of Norway Japanese-language singers Latin-language singers Spellemannprisen winners