Kjell Samkopf

Norwegian composer and percussionist, born in 1952. Kjell Samkopf started his professional career as an orchestral musician in 1972. He was a timpanist in the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (1974-75) and a deputy musician in the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (1975-82). In 1979 he got a full time position as percussionist in the Norwegian National Opera. From the beginning of the 1980s he increasingly concentrated on performing contemporary music. Throughout his practice he has participated in several ensembles, namely, the New Music Ensemble (1979-83) and the contemporary music ensemble Octoband (1980-85). In his circle of artistic friends, Samkopf would frequently perform with people such as the poet Kjell Erik Vindtorn and The Fatah Morgana Quartet (1985-97). Samkopf has had a number of performances as a soloist of his own works in percussion and electronics. Among these are the performances at the Bergen International Festival 1980, the World Music Days in Aarhus, Denmark 1983, a solo tour in Sweden with Rikskonserter 1984, Percussion Days - University of Arizona 1995, Illinois, Festival in Northern Norway 1999 and Son Poetry Festival south of Oslo 2000. His success has extended to the release of several CDs of his own music. His debut album was the LP Solo Percussion with electronics (1983). In 1990 followed the CD Contemporary Music for Big Band, with Samkopf as a vibraphone soloist in his own works with Sandvika Big Band.