Henning Sommerro is a Norwegian

Norwegians

Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...

 musician, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and music teacher.

Biography

Sommerro grew up on the Sommerro farm at Skei in Surnadal. His name became widely known in 1977 when the folk music group Vårsøg released their recording of Hans Hyldbakk’s poem Vårsøg.

Sommerro had his first lessons in organ and piano at the age of sixteen at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim

Trondheim

Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...

. He studied organ there from 1970–1974, and from 1974–1976 he was organist in the villages of Stangvik

Stangvik

Stangvik is a village and former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the Stangvikfjord in the present-day municipality of Surnadal, about southwest of Surnadalsøra and Skei...

 and Todalen

Todalen

Todalen is a village on the north shore of the Vinjefjorden in the municipality of Aure in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located about south of the municipal center of Aure. Until the beginning of 19th century, it was a municipal center with a lensmann and council. Todal had a post...

. From 1976–1977 he studied organ and composition at the music academy in Basel

Basel

Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

, and in 1978 he became director of music at the Teatret Vårt

Teatret Vårt

Teatret Vårt is a regional theatre for Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It was established in 1972, and is based in Molde. The theatre cooperates with the annual Molde International Jazz Festival. Carl Morten Amundsen has been theatre director from 2000....

 theatre in Molde

Molde

is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

. From 1985–1990 he was director of music at Trøndelag Teater

Trøndelag Teater

Trøndelag Teater is a large theater in the city of Trondheim, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway.-Background:Trøndelag Teater stages large-scale dance and musical performances. Originally built in 1816, the theater is the oldest stage in Scandinavia in continuous use...

. Additionally in the years 1986–1988 he was a music consultant for Norwegian radio (NRK P2). Since 1990 he has been a senior lecturer in music at the Department of Music of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology , commonly known as NTNU, is located in Trondheim. NTNU is the second largest of the eight universities in Norway, and, as its name suggests, has the main national responsibility for higher education in engineering and technology...

 (formerly the Trøndelag Musikkonservatorium).

Sommerro’s performing career began in his youth as a member of the band The Tramps which later changed its name to Mad Movies. In 1977 he made his recording début with the folksong group Vårsøg, which released three records. Sommerro has since that time performed on his own, with various groups, and as an accompanist for, among others, Erik Bye

Erik Bye

Erik Erikssønn Bye was a versatile Norwegian journalist,artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality...

, Sigmund Groven

Sigmund Groven

Sigmund Groven is a Norwegian classical harmonica player, today considered one of the world's leading classical harmonica players. He plays with a large number of the world's leading musicians and orchestras, and he has made about 22 recordings yet in his own name...

, Geirr Lystrup, Halvdan Sivertsen

Halvdan Sivertsen

Halvdan Sivertsen is a Norwegian singer. He was born in Tromsø, but raised and currently lives in Bodø. He has won Spellemannprisen awards five times, twice with his group Gitarkameratene, and received the Culture Prize of Nordland county in 2000...

, Bjørn Alterhaug, Dalakopa, Arve Tellefsen

Arve Tellefsen

Arve Tellefsen is a Norwegian violinist.He was born and raised in Trondheim, Norway. When he was 6 years old, he began playing the violin in 'Trondheims musikkskole'...

, John Pål Inderberg

John Pål Inderberg

John Pål Inderberg is a versatile saxophonist with a natural spontaneity of expression and one of the leading traditional musicians in Norway...

, Palle Mikkelborg

Palle Mikkelborg

Palle Mikkelborg , is a Danish jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger and record producer. He started playing professionally in 1960, and has since been a dominant figure on the Danish and international progressive jazz scene...

, Åge Aleksandersen

Åge Aleksandersen

Åge Aleksandersen is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is one of his country's most famous singer/songwriters, musicians....

, Arne Domnerus

Arne Domnérus

Sven Arne Domnérus was a Swedish jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist, popularly nicknamed Dompan....

, Aly Bain

Aly Bain

Aly Bain MBE is a Shetland fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. Bain is now considered one of the finest fiddlers in the Scottish tradition. In the early days of his career he formed part of the band The Humblebums with two other ‘unknowns’ Gerry Rafferty and...

, and Choeur Grégorien de Paris.

Henning Sommerro has written music for over 140 different theatre and film productions. Of these should be mentioned Kjærleikens ferjereiser (film, 1979); An-Magritt (1988, nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize

Nordic Council Music Prize

The Nordic Council Music Prize is awarded annually by NOMUS, the Nordic Music Committee. Every two years it is awarded for a work by a living composer...

 2008); Landstrykere (1989); the Steinvikholmen opera Olav Engelbrektsson (1993); the sacred operas Jesu siste dager (1997) and Eystein av Nidaros; Partisan Requiem (2000); the folk music ("gammeldans") mass Vindens hjul (1994). He has also set to music poetry by Hans Hyldbakk and hymns by Edvard Hoem

Edvard Hoem

Edvard Hoem is a Norwegian novelist, dramatist, lyricist and psalmist. He made his literary debut in 1969, with the poetry collection Som grønne musikantar. He was awarded the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature in 1974 for the novel Kjærleikens ferjereiser...

.

Discography

• 1977 – Vårsøg with the group Vårsøg
• 1978 – Sola e komma with Vårsøg
• 1978 – Av moll er du komen, til dur skal du bli with Vårsøg and the choir SKRUK
  SKRUK
  SKRUK is a well-known choir in Norway, having toured all over the country for more than 35 years with its conductor, Per Oddvar Hildre.The choir have released more than 20 records, and have performed on several continents....
  
  
• 1981 – Litt tå meg
• 1986 – Neonlys på Ivar Aasen
• 1992 – Vårsøg with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra
• 1996 – Svarrabærje
• 1996 – Follow the Moonstone Aly Bain/The Scottish BT Ensemble
• 1996 – Vindens hjul
• 2001 – Partisan Requiem
• 2006 – Sullabullyam
• 2009 – Magnificat
• 2009 – Two we go together with Gunnar Andreas Berg
• Norsk musikkfortegnelse (Norwegian database of published music) 89 hits for printed music
• Norsk nasjonaldiskografi (Norwegian database of recorded music) 81 hits for recordings where he is either performer, composer or contributor

Awards

• 1978 – Prøysenprisen
• 1979 – Spellemannprisen 1979 for Sola e komma (as a member of the group Vårsøg)
• 1979 – Møre og Romsdal county cultural prize
• 1982 – Special prize awarded by the jury at Spellemannprisen 1981
• 1986 – Gammeleng-prisen in the category "studio"
• 1987 – Spellmannprisen 1986 for Neonlys på Ivar Aasen
• 1987 – Sør-Trøndelag county cultural prize
• 1994 - Bræinprisen
• 1997 – The Kardemomme award
• 2011 - Norsk Korforbund prize
• Spellemannprisen annual Norwegian recording industry award (in Norwegian)