Cikada Duo
Biography Cikada Duo
Cikada Duo:
Kenneth Karlsson piano/synthesizer and Bjørn Rabben percussion.
After a concert playing Karlheinz Stockhausens Kontakte in -88 they started as a duo. The Cikada ensemble was formed around the duo the following year. The Duo has toured Europe, Asia and America, often using electronics or other forms of expressions such as contributions from video or dance.
Cikada Duo have been working with composers and musicians like James Dillon, Rolf Wallin, Richard Barret, Tan Dun, Sven David Sandström, Bent Sørensen, Jon Balke, Hilde Torgersen, Åke Parmerud, Arne Nordheim. They are members of the Cikada ensemble and also members of improvisation group Point 4 together with Jon Balke and Ingar Zach. Prices include The Nordic Council Music Prize, 2005, Grammy 2001 to Kenneth Karlsson for solo-CD “Sofferte onde serene»,
Kenneth Karlsson Pianist,
born 1952 in Åmål, Sweden.
Kenneth Karlsson played in the eighties in the Swedish group Aquarius, the Oslo Sinfonietta and the two piano, two percussion group Ensemble K4. After a concert in 1988 playing Karlheinz Stockhausens Kontakte, Karlsson and percussionist Bjørn Rabben started Cikada Duo. In 1989 the ten musician large ensemble Cikada also formed around the duo.
Karlsson is now active playing chamber music and solo concerts. He is pianist in Cikada and Cikada Duo and a member of improvisation group Point 4 together with Jon Balke, Ingar Zach and Bjørn Rabben. Karlsson has toured in Europe, Asia and America. He has recorded a number of CDs, worked with video, dance and multimedia, and has worked with internationally recognized composers and musicians such as James Dillon, Bent Sørensen, Hilde Torgersen, Richard Barrett, Tan Dun, Jon Balke, Conny Bauer, Rolf Wallin, Sidsel Endresen, Paul Rutherford and Åke Parmerud. He has performed a huge number of premiers from Scandinavian and International composers. Prizes include the Norwegian Grammy (2001) for the solo-CD “sofferte onde serene» playing music by Nono, Berio, Scelsi, and the Nordic Council Music Prize (2005) together with Cikada.
Bjørn Rabben, born 1959 in Måløy, Norway.
Bjørn Rabben began playing drums as a teenager in rock and jazz groups in Stavanger and then studied classical percussion at the academy in Oslo in the early eighties. Besides freelancing in the symphonic orchestras, he has worked mostly with contemporary music. Rabben has performed in Oslo Sinfonietta, piano/percussion quartet K4 and started Cikada Duo in1988 with Kenneth Karlsson and Cikada in 1989. He has performed in Australia, America and Europe, and worked with, amongst others, James Dillon, Rolf Wallin, Richard Barrett, Tan Dun, Olav-Anton Thommesen, Asbjørn Schaathun, Sven-David Sandström, Arne Nordheim, Tristan Murail,Iannis Xenakis, and Bent Sørensen.
