Katrine Kristiansen is a Norwegian flutist.
She is a freelance musician and plays concert flute, piano, organ, early Irish wire strung harp and sings. She also composes and performs her own music and lyrics.
She has released 4 albums:
- BACH & PIAZZOLLA flute a capella, 2013, Bach Partita in A minor and all of Piazzolla’s Tango Études for flute solo
- FROM STRING TO STRING, 2012, guitar pieces by Antonio Lauro transcribed for piano by Katrine Kristiansen
- SOUND, 2011, featuring concert flute, voice, Celtic harp and Irish low whistle
- AUDE SAPERE, 2011, a collection of prose poems (available both in English and Norwegian) Free download/Last ned gratis nederst på siden here
Katrine was born in Oslo, Norway. Her music education started at Barrat Due Music Institute in Oslo at the age of 4. She had piano lessons from age 5 and concert flute lessons from the age of 6. Her vocal training took place under the care of Marie Foss, the conductor of the Norwegian Broadcasting Girl Choir and Studio Choir where Katrine sang for more than 15 years. From age 13, for almost a decade she performed solo flute at all their concerts and tours in Norway and abroad. Katrine grew up in a musical family, her mother was a pianist and head of the music department at the main library in Oslo, and her father was a baritone singer. They both graduated from University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.
From the age of 13-24 Katrine studied with the Norwegian flutist Torkil Bye, former principal flutist of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Norwegian Opera Orchestra. Katrine graduated from the Norwegian Music Academy as a classical flutist in 1984. During these years she earned a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied music for 1 1/2 years, followed by 1/2 year at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Her studies included masterclasses with Jean Pierre Rampal.
After her graduation Katrine worked as a professional flute player. She has taught flute and piano students of all ages over the course of more than 25 years. At the end of 2014 she started up Katrine Kristiansen Musikk skole in Kragerø where she teaches flute and piano and coaches small instrumental and vocal ensembles.
Katrine sang first alto with Ensemble 96 from 1999-2008 (Conductor: Øystein Fevang) and was GRAMMY-nominated (Best Choral Performance) together with the producer 2L in 2006 for the album Immortal Nystedt. Katrine was also a member of the Oslo Philharmonic Choir until 2012.
In 1988 she was diagnosed with severe arthritis after the first of her two daughters was born. With a macrobiotic diet and meditation she healed. This awoke an interest in natural medicine and she studied homeopathy for 4 years and graduated in 1996 from the Scandinavian Institute of Classical Homeopathy where she later taught the subjects of homeopathy and the inner evolution of the therapist for 5 years. She ran a homeopathic practice in Oslo for 11 years.
A cancer diagnosis in 1996 changed the way she perceived life and eventually led to her being asked to give meditation classes and leading retreats in USA, Canada, Ireland and Norway in addition to keeping a regular office job. After a couple of years she withdrew from teaching, feeling the need for contemplation and finding it was the same as living an ordinary life.
In 2010 she took up Tai Chi and received her training from Dr.Beijung at her tai chi institute in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. After two years she started teaching Yang Style 16 Forms.
As life changed, it brought a changed musical unfolding too, the focus being on the clarity and authenticity of the sound.
In April 2015 Katrine was offered a position as organist/choir conductor in Kragerø: Skåtøy kirke and Støle kirke
(Photo: Les Black, Stonehaven)