Ingfrid Breie Nyhus

Ingfrid Breie Nyhus (b 1978) is a Norwegian pianist and composer. Her work focuses on contemporary, (re)compositional and improvisational practices, often intertwining elements from folk, contemporary and classical traditions. She grew up in a folk music family, first of all with the pols tradition from her father Sven Nyhus, and she made classical piano studies in Norway, Finland and Germany. She has worked extensively with classical and contemporary solo and chamber repertoire, with several commissions and cooperations with composers. For the last ten years, her work involves composition and improvisation, solo and in groups. One of the main projects is Slåttepiano, where she transfers and recreates the sounds and forms of Norwegian slått traditions into her own pianistic and improvisatory world.

Critics early described her as ”a virtuoso of timbre”, with “luscious touch and rich nuances”, being among the new generation of pianists “who really have something on their heart». She has received several prizes for her performances and recordings, such as The Norwegian Soloist Prize 2005.  The recording ‘Grieg Peasant Dances op.72’ was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Spellemannprisen and awarded “Record of the Year” by the Great Britain Grieg Society in 2007. The album “Hardanger Fiddle in Art Music” was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy 2016, the album “Slåttepiano” was nominated for the Norwegian folk music award Folkelarmprisen 2016, and with "Slåttepiano II" she was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Composer Prize. She has received international acclaim for the Slåttepiano music.

She has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Trondheim Soloists, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and more. She regularly performs at contemporary, folk, classical and jazz festivals and scenes internationally. Venues include the Bergen International Festival, Risør Chamber Music Festival, Ultima Festival, Punkt Festival, FolkBaltica Festival, Førde International Folk Festival, Donaueschinger Festspiele, Dark Music Days Reykjavik, Umeå Jazz festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, AngelicA Festival, Lillenorge Berlin, King’s Place London, Meidään Festivaali, Bebersee Soireen Berlin, Nordic Music Festival Germany, Theater am Spittelberg Wien, the Hardanger Festival, Ilios Festival, Grønland Chamber Music Festival, Avgarde, Sandvika Master Series, Arctic Arts Festival, and more. Ingfrid Breie Nyhus has been artistic director of the Winter Chamber Music Festival in Røros. She holds a PhD in artistic research, by the project “A Play with Traditions, interpreting and performing between folk and pianism”, and she is active as artistic researcher at the Norwegian Academy of Music.