Birgitte Grimstad (born 15 December 1935) is a Danish-born Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and writer.

Personal life

Grimstad was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the daughter of

Aksel Schiøtz Aksel Schiøtz (1 September 190619 April 1975) was a Danish tenor and later baritone, who was considered one of Europe's leading lieder singers of the post-World War II period.Alan Blyth"Review: The Singer and His Art by Aksel Schiøtz" ''The Musi ...

and Gerd Haugsted. She was married to ambassador Per Øystein Grimstad from 1958 to 1988.

Career

Grimstad studied theatre and mass media at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, United States. She moved to Norway in 1959, and produced television shows for the

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

(NRK), including children's programs and shows with performers such as

Alf Prøysen Alf Prøysen () (23 July 1914 – 23 November 1970) was a Norwegian author, poet, playwright, songwriter and musician. Prøysen was one of the most important Norwegian cultural personalities in the second half of the 20th century. He work ...

and

Lalla Carlsen Lalla Carlsen (née Haralda Petrea Christensen) (17 August 1889 – 23 March 1967) was a Norwegian singer and actress. She was a very popular singer in Norway. Personal life Lalla Carlsen was born in Svelvik as the daughter of shipmaster Carl A ...

. She made her musical debut in 1966 with the single "Det første som jeg ønsker meg", with lyrics by Alf Prøysen, and "Å være barn en sommerdag" (lyrics by

André Bjerke Jarl André Bjerke (30 January 1918 – 10 January 1985) was a Norwegian writer and poet. He wrote a wide range of material: poems (both for children and adults), mystery novels (four of them under the pseudonym Bernhard Borge), essays, and arti ...

). That same year, she issued the album ''Birgitte Grimstad synger viser''. Her first Danish album was ''Viser er så meget'', released in 1968. Her folk album ''Nordlysun'' (1972), in cooperation with

Geirr Tveitt Geirr Tveitt (born Nils Tveit; 19 October 1908 – 1 February 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Tveitt was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s. Life Early years Tveitt was born in Be ...

, earned her a

Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...

. Other albums from the 1970s are ''Viser i vinden'' (1972), ''Ej Blot til Børn'' (1973), ''Ord over grind'' (1977), and ''Songs of Scandinavia'' (1978). She published the songbooks ''Fra Birgitte Grimstads repertoar'' in 1969 and ''Menneskeviser'' in 1972. She took the initiative in establishing the song quartet ''Ballade!'', which consisted of herself,

Åse Kleveland Åse Maria Kleveland (born 18 March 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, politician and activist. She represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 with the entry " Intet er nytt under solen". A well-known folk singer and traditiona ...

Lars Klevstrand Lars Klevstrand (born 30 September 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He was born in Drammen, Buskerud, the son of Olav Klevstrand and Grethe Sofie Larsen, and was brought up in Bærum. Career His debut album was ''V ...

, and

Lillebjørn Nilsen Lillebjørn Falk Nilsen (born Bjørn Falk Nilsen; 21 December 1950 – 27 January 2024) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He was born in Oslo, and was considered by some to be the leading "voice of Oslo", thanks to numerous c ...

. The group toured Denmark and Norway. Their concert album ''Ballade på turné'', released in 1978, became very popular. The quartet's second album, ''Ekstranummer'' from 1980, was awarded a

. Later in the 1980s she performed

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

's ''Geistliche Lieder'' and the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

ballad ''

Draumkvedet "Draumkvedet" ("The Dream Poem"; NMB 54, TSB B 31) is a Norwegian visionary poem, probably dated from the late medieval age.Knut Liestøl: "Draumkvedet. A Visionary Poem from the Middle Ages", ''Studia Norvegica 3, 1946''

'' in churches in Denmark and Norway. Her album ''Pas på de vilde fugle'' from 1983 included a Danish version of Prøysen's "Vise for gærne jinter",

Nordahl Grieg Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg (1 November 1902 – 2 December 1943) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and activism, political activist. He was a popular author and a controversial public figure. He served in World War II as a war c ...

's poem "

Til Ungdommen ''Til ungdommen'' ( English: "To the Youth"), also known by the words of the first line ''Kringsatt av fiender'' ("Surrounded by Enemies"), is a poem from 1936 by Norwegian poet and writer Nordahl Grieg (1902–1943) . It was set to music in 1952 ...

" to Otto Mortensen melody, and a translation of the

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

hit " Love Me Tender". Later albums are ''Wondering And Calling'' from 1986, and ''Love Is A Flow'' from 1996. She was awarded a ''Musikkritikerprisen'' in 1972, and a ''Prøysenprisen'' in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimstad, Birgitte 1935 births Living people Musicians from Copenhagen University of Minnesota alumni Danish emigrants to Norway 20th-century Norwegian women singers 20th-century Norwegian singers 20th-century Danish women singers Norwegian composers Spellemannprisen winners