I am deeply honored and very happy to be awarded the German Music Critics´ Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik) for my latest album RORAIMA in the category «Crossover productions» !

The prize, which is commercially independent and highly regarded, has four annual nominations in 32 categories featuring music from all over the world. The jury currently consists of 154 music critics from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

https://www.schallplattenkritik.de/en/quarterly-critics-choice-long-list...

Hole has assembled the perfect roster to bring this ambitious vision to life, with Trygve Seim on saxophone, Hakon Aase on violin, Frode Haltli on accordion, Helga Myhr on hardanger fiddle, Tanja Orning on cello, Per Oddvar Johansen on vibraphone, and of course, himself on the double bass. It is difficult to believe that the album was recorded in a live setting (during its premiere in Jakob Church, Oslo in 2020), as it has the feel of being meticulously wrought and impeccably detailed.

The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) is Norway’s largest public employer organisation. In their recent article on how art might contribute to reaching the 17 sustainable development goals set by the @UN, they point to "Roraima" as an example:

15: LIFE ON LAND

What's it about?

Protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of ecosystems, ensuring sustainable forest management, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss.

Why can the cultural field contribute to this goal?

https://tv.nrk.no/se?v=NNFA05021822&t=4246s

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/arts/music/playlist-jack-harlow-romeo...

The video features a track from my upcoming album RORAIMA, out February 18th. RORAIMA was made as a commissioned work for Oslo World in 2020 and reflects themes such as ecological vulnerability and solidarity through listening in on the soundscapes of the Amazon rainforest. Several of these sounds became an important inspiration in the music - both through transcriptions of the singing of birds and other sounds, and in the direct musical interplay between the ensemble and rainforest field recordings.

Four fiery seasons on Hardanger fiddle from Northwestern Norway

“Årringar” is the fourth solo album from Britt Pernille Frøholm. She is a seasoned traditional musician from Hornindal not afraid break new ground in the tradition she grew up with. Now she presents her own compositions and interpretations of traditional folk tunes. Together with Sigurd Hole on double bass, she invites the listener on a journey filled with contrasts.

My new commissioned work for Oslo World, called RORAIMA, will be premiered October 29th in the wonderful Kulturkirken JAKOB. Feeling very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to write new music for this great festival, and I am looking very much forward to performing it alongside the amazing musicianship of Trygve Seim, Frode Haltli, Tanja Orning, Helga Myhr, Håkon Aase and Per Oddvar Johansen. This concert marks the beginning of this new, large ensemble which I hope will perform many more concerts and explore new music written in the years to come.

THE ART OF BEING HUMAN - «Unique and deeply affecting music … More than a celebration of nature, Hole puts - both literally and figuratively - himself and the music in the very middle of it. Thus, in addition to being a collection of fascinating pieces for solo double bass, the album has become a metephor for how human kind is a part of nature. If we loose nature, we loose much of what it means to be human»

"Lys / Mørke" - 2x CD / 2x Vinyl / digital - official worldwide release February 14th
( Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium release in September 20, tour dates coming up )

Order CD and Vinyl here:
https://sigurdhole.bandcamp.com
(includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more)

Digital here:
https://orcd.co/lysmorke

“…and while you may not walk away with discernible melodies on the brain, you will have in your possession something far more indelible: a feeling that you have known the texture of a soul.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/arts/music/concerts-new-york.html

https://newyorkmusicdaily.wordpress.com/2020/01/26/sigurdhole/

Text below from www.carnegiehall.org:

Today I am releasing the new single "Duggdråper". It is the first snippet from my upcoming solo double bass album "Lys / Mørke" (out February 2020). Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/track/25J3oGuHHsiuBEpB2pAyEv?si=gQ8rRO_2TZyqmHf...

Excerpt from press release:

"Bassist Sigurd Hole delivered a bold but meditative solo bass performance over the course of a hypnotic hour in the compact Radsalen room, dwelling in a landscape of enigmatic harmonics, impressionistic melodic logic and ambient aesthetics of his distinctive devising."

https://www.jazziz.com/norways-moldejazz-festival-fjord-side-jazz-haven-...

https://jazzthetik.de/sigurd-hole/

This morning (27. mars 2019) I played a morning concert at 08:15 in the wonderful main concert hall i Malmö Konserthus. It must be one of the best - if not the best - rooms in which I have ever performed. To be able to fill the entire space alone with my double bass playing without any amplification, feeling the immediate, well-balanced response from this huge 1700 seat concert hall in even the softest of dynamics was a truly fantastic experience.

https://www.fib.no/en/programme/sigurd-hole-trio--tord-gustavsen-trio/

Looking very much forward to performing solo at these two great venues: Nasjonal Jazzscene in Oslo (April 25th - double bill with Tord Gustavsen solo) & Molde International Jazzfestival (July 17th) - opening a new venue for acoustic concerts at the festival.

https://nasjonaljazzscene.no/arrangement/tord-gustavsen-sigurd-hole-solo/
https://www.moldejazz.no/sigurd-hole-solo

Honoured and proud to find my solo double bass album ‘Elvesang’ listed as «Best of 2018 - Solo recordings» in The New York City Jazz Record:-)

My solo double bass album "Elvesang" is included in John Kelman´s Best releases of 2018 for allaboutjazz.com !

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-kelmans-best-releases-of-2018-by-john-...