Håkon Høgemo (born 1965), from Øvre Årdal in Sogn, has been described by fiddler Knut Buen as “the Crown Prince of the Hardanger fiddle”. His unique sound and technique have lifted the art of Hardanger fiddle playing to a higher level. In his collaboration with musicians from other genres, he has given fiddle tunes a new, modern mode of expression. Høgemo has won the first prize at the National Contest for Traditional Music twice, in 1989 and 1995.
He was the first recipient of the Osa Prize in 1992, and received the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s award for young folk musicians in the same year. He is one of very few Hardanger fiddlers to work on a freelance basis.
Høgemo has played on many CDs, and has toured in Norway, the USA, the UK, Germany, Japan and Belgium. He is a member of several folk music groups, including Slåttetrioen, Sogn and Utla.
Discography
Å fela ho let (Spelarhaugen Folkemusikk SFKMC 107, 1988)
Mellom vener (Spelarhaugen Folkemusikk SFKMC 108, 1988)
Rit, with Sogn-A-Song (NOR-CD 9410, 1994)
Juv, with Utla (NOR-CD 9309, 1993)
Norsk Folkemusikk 8 (Folkemusikk frå Sogn og Fjordane, Møre og Romsdal) (Grappa Musikkforlag GRCD 4068, 1995)
Brodd, with Utla (NOR-CD 9514, 1995) Meisterspel, with various artists (Grappa Musikkforlag HCD 7132, 1997)
Dans, with Utla (NOR-CD 9935, 1999)
Høgdepunkt Førde Folk Festival, with various artists (Grappa Musikkforlag HCD 7154, 1999)
Solo (NorCD, 2000)
Marylands (Heilo/Grappa, 2001)
Song, with Utla and Berit Opheim (NorCD, 2003)
Gamaltnymalt, with igrid Moldestad and Einar Mjølsnes (NorCD, 2005)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.