Frode Haltli (*1975)

Frode Haltli (b. 1975) studied accordion at the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Royal Danish Academy of Music, graduating from the Solists’ Class of 2000. In 2001 he was named Concerts Norway’s (Rikskonsertene) Young Solist of the Year. In the following years Haltli established himself as an international soloist and chamber musician. He has been a soloist with orchestras all over the world, and performed in a wide range of genres and settings—from contemporary music festivals in Warsaw, Witten and Huddersfield, to jazz and folk music festivals—both as a performer and composer/arranger.

Haltli has released a number of records on the renowned German record label ECM. Composers such as Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, Rolf Wallin, Atli Ingólfsson, Jo Kondo and Sam Hayden have written works especially for Haltli, and more than 60 composers have written for the trio POING, which has existed since 1999. POING has also worked extensively with arrangements ranging from folk music to classical music, and with POING Haltli has also composed a number of commissioned works, including for Tormod Lindgren’s theatre piece Simplicissimus (2021). He has played in many other combinations where he has contributed original music, including in duo collaborations with Gjermund Larsen, Trygve Seim, for the trio RUSK, and not least for the project Avant Folk, where Frode Haltli from 2017 and through three album releases has composed and played music with 10 creative musicians from folk music and improvisational music.

Frode Haltli has also composed music for theatre and radio plays, including Vid din sida (Teater Innlandet 2011), Die Leere füllen (Deutschlandradio 2012) and Skrik fra Nordhue (Teater Innlandet 2019), the commissioned works Blissful Pentecost (Louth Contemporary Music Society, Ireland 2014), Grenseskogen (Osafestivalen 2015), commissioned works for Avant Folk for Vossajazz 2019, and Fruits of Labour (2023) commissioned by the duo Emilia Amper and Anna Petrini. Together with Maja S.K. Ratkje he composed the music for Elfriede Jelinek’s radio play Neid (Bayerische Rundfunk, Germany 2011). They have also written several songs together and original music for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK Radioteatret). With Erlend Apneseth Haltli has composed music for the commissioned work Vandring with lyrics by Sigmund Løvåsen for Dei nynorske festspela 2021.

Selected Works