Bjørn Kruse

Bjørn Kruse (bjornkruse.com) lectures extensively throughout Norway on the subject of interdisciplinary aesthetics, addressing students and educators within all expressions of art, based on his new book, Thinking Art. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Applied Aesthetics. The basic topic deals with concepts and models of understanding that all artists employ, and that this type of broad insight enriches the individual artist in his own discipline, as well as develops the aesthetical competence of all those who enjoy experiencing art, regardless of a particular expression. The lectures are offered in either the Norwegian or English language.
Besides composing music, painting, and activity as a freelance academic, he is also supervisor for research fellows within the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme.
From teenage years, Bjørn Kruse was active for about 25 years as jazz musician (saxophone), composer/arranger, producer and studio musician within most areas of music, while teaching and composing preoccupied him more and more. His list of works now numbers more that 150, including compositions for choir, chamber ensembles, several concertos and orchestra works, and four operas, and his compositions are performed ever more often in Norway and abroad. Among prizes won may be mentioned the Fernseh Opern Preis der Stadt Salzburg 1983, for the TV opera A Game of Chess, and several of his works have won the Work of the Year award in Norway. The concerto for alto sax and orchestra, Timaios, was awarded the Jury's Special Prize by NOPA 2010, and his 50 min clarinet concerto, Chronotope, won the Music Publishers' Prize 2017.
Bjørn Kruse was featured composer at amongs others, Festspillene i Nord-Norge 1994, Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden 2003, Risør Chamber Music Festival 2005, and MusikA Toulouse, France 2010. 2010.