Photo: Charlotte Wiig
Areas of Expertise
- Jazz Saxophone
- Ensemble
- Subject Development
Biography
Morten Halle (b. 1957) is a saxophonist and composer who has been an active musician since the late 1970s. In Oslo’s jazz scene, he is known for numerous recordings and jazz groups.
Halle has contributed to several hundred recordings and has toured internationally with ensembles led by Jon Balke (Magnetic North) and Geir Lysne (Listening Ensemble) and has performed with artists such as Sissel Kyrkjebø, Ole Edvard Antonsen, Lars Klevstrand, and Sinikka Langeland. His personal projects include Into the wild hills, Halles Komet, Metropolitan, 1300 Oslo, and Northern Arc. He has also been part of bands such as Cutting Edge, Oslo 13, Søyr, Østerdalsmusikk, Chipahua, and Desafinado.
Halle has organizational experience in the music sector and has been a board member of the Association of Norwegian Jazz Musicians, the Norwegian Jazz Forum, and NOPA. He served as Chairman of the Board of TONO from 2002 to 2004. Halle has been affiliated with the Norwegian Academy of Music since the mid-1980s and was appointed as an associate professor in 2005.
As a producer and composer, Halle has worked with Sidsel Endresen/Bugge Wesseltoft, Come Shine, Solveig Slettahjell, Trondheim Voices, Pust, Sinikka Langeland, and Pitsj. He has composed commissioned works for the Bergen International Festival, Molde Jazz Festival, Cikada, MusikA Toulouse, and Dølajazz, as well as a significant body of work for film, theatre, and ballet. He was part of the team that won the Hedda Award for Best Audiovisual Performance with Rekyl in 2017.
Halle has received state artist grants as both a musician and composer.
Background
Education
- Intermediate studies in musicology at the University of Oslo (1979)
Work Experience
- Deputy principal/Vice-principal at the Norwegian Academy of Music (2017–2022)
- Head of Department at the Norwegian Academy of Music (2008–2017)
- Associate Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music (2005–present)
- Chairman of the Board, TONO (2002–2004)
- Board member of the Association of Norwegian Jazz Musicians, the Norwegian Jazz Forum, and NOPA
- Free-lance musician and composer (1978-present)
Ongoing Projects
- Into the Wild Hills (with Helge Lien, Gunnar Halle, Christian Meaas Svendsen and Andreas Wildhagen)
- Then and Now – an artistic-research project involving 20 duo recordings
- Morten Halle/Carlo Morena Duo
Publications
- Musikalsk medvirkning på konsert med Cutting Edge på Herr Nilsen fredag den 7. juni 2024. Gitarist og professor "Knut Værnes 70 år." 2024
- Trailing the jazz workshop: Developing a pedagogy for the large jazz ensemble within higher music education 2022
- Practising across genres 2015
