Marianne Tomasgård was born and raised in a small village called Nannestad (in Akershus), Norway. She was one of the leading figures in the female fiddle band Honndalstausene that toured at home and abroad and recorded several albums.
Honndalstausene was formed in Hornindal in Sogn og Fjordane. The group gave its first performance at a regional competition in 1983 and quickly became a household name that gained a larger audience than the regular folk music acts.
Notably, Honndalstausene played Norwegian folk music with a focus on runddans (round dance) and gammeldans (old dance) throughout Norway and abroad and also appeared on TV and radio. Their largest audience was when they played during the last TV broadcast from the Olympics in Lillehammer where they played with Sissel Kyrkjebø.
For the past years, Marianne Tomasgård has worked actively to immerse and convey the folk music traditions from Akershus and Østfold. This work has led to her current job as a professional consultant for folk music at Østfold Music Council and Akershus Music Council.
On the album Folk fra Follo (2021), Tomasgårdd collaborated with guitarist Åsmund Reistad. The duo uncovered local music dance pieces out of old scores and revitalized them.
(headline image: Åsmund Reistad and Marianne Tomasgård – Photo by Terje Johansen)
Discography:
Honndalstausene, with Honndalstausene (Heilo, 1988)
Strengeleik, with Honndalstausene (Norsk Plateproduksjon, 1992)
Frie former, with Honndalstausene (Heilo, 2000)
Gamle Nordfjord, with Honndalstausene (Heilo, 2008)
Folk fra Follo, with Åsmund Reistad (Heilo, 2021)
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.