Biography

Synne Skouen was born in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

. She studied at the Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 Academy of Music with Alfred Uhl

Alfred Uhl

Alfred Uhl was an Austrian composer, violist, music teacher and conductor.-Biography:Uhl studied with Franz Schmidt at the Vienna Music Academy, receiving a diploma in composition with honours in 1932. He subsequently worked as Kapellmeister of the Swiss Festspielmusik in Zürich...

 and Erwin Ratz

Erwin Ratz

Erwin Ratz was an Austrian musicologist and music theorist. He studied musicology with Guido Adler and composition with Arnold Schoenberg and was active in the Schoenberg circle. In the 1920s he worked at the Bauhaus. After World War II he was a professor of musical form and analysis in Vienna...

 for composition and Dieter Kaufmann

Dieter Kaufmann

Dieter Kaufmann is an Austrian composer.-Biography:Kaufmann was born in Vienna and grew up in Carinthia.He studied music, German philology, art history, violoncello, composition and electro-acoustic music Dieter Kaufmann (born April 22, 1941) is an Austrian composer.-Biography:Kaufmann was born...

 and Friedrich Cerha

Friedrich Cerha

Friedrich Cerha is an Austrian composer and conductor.-Biography:Cerha was born in Vienna.He received his education at the Viennese Music Academy and at the University of Vienna...

 for electronic music. She also studied with Finn Mortensen

Finn Mortensen

Finn Mortensen was a Norwegiancomposer, critic and educator. Finn Einar Mortensen was born in Oslo. His parents were publisher Ernst Gustav Mortensen and Anna Marie Damnæs . Mortensen grew up in a publishing environment and it was at first expected that he would go into his father's...

 in Oslo receiving her degree in composition from the Norwegian Academy of Music

Norwegian Academy of Music

The Norwegian Academy of Music is a music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the country's highest level of music education. As a university college, it offers both undergraduate and postgraduate...

in 1976.

Skouen worked as a member of the experimental music theatre group "Die Fremden" in Vienna. From 1977-86 she worked as editor of the contemporary music periodical Ballade, and wrote as a music critic for Arbeiderbladet. In 1993 Skouen became the music director for Norwegian Broadcasting's cultural channel, and in 1999 was named Head of Culture. In 2002 she served as President of the Society of Norwegian Composers. In 1993 she won the Prix Italia for the radio production Måkespiserne with author Cecelie Løveid and director Nicole Macé.

Works

Synne Skouen composes for theatrical productions and film, as well as for orchestra and solo instruments. Selected works include:

• Volven (The Sibyl) full length ballet with choreographer Kjersti Alveberg
• Dusj (Shower) video opera
• Froskeprinsen (The Frog Prince) television fable
• Måkespiserne (Gulleaters) radio production
• Balladen om Anne Roggløy melodrama
• Une soirée d'eté
• Hils Domitila! (Greet Dometila) for piano
• ROSA for soprano and tape