Birgitte Alsted

Denmark, b. 1942

Autodidact – (for many years!); 2006 at Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium – RAMA Aarhus, Master in Composition of electronic Music.

First electronic work: Antigone (1983), stage music for Gladsaxe Teater.

Composer and violinist Birgitte Alsted is an experimental artist working with contemporary music. Her work as a performing musician is essential in her activities as a composer – her idiom often dramatic, with acoustic instruments, computer and tape.

As a composer, her work ranges from collective improvisation and creative music teaching to theatre music, solo works and vocal- and orchestral music.

Alsted has been working with multimedia performances, involving electronic devices and resources in her compositions, and she has used poetry, dance and slides in her works. In her work with electro-acoustic music, she has been attracted by the possibilities of the computer to manipulate sounds.

One source of inspiration is literature and poetry that traces the development of the human mind. Contemporary and older literature – the Bible included – have both contributed to Alsted’s multifaceted universe.

Main el-works: Vækst © 1988, Sorgsang II © 1995, Sorgsang V © 1996, zu versuchen, die Fragen © 2002, Odysseus on a Minicruise ©2002, Dance with Bells © 2006

More information for ex. in:

"Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon" bd 1, 2001 ("Danish Women-Biographical Dictionnary", vol. 1, 2001)

and

Mette Koustrup Petersen: "Birgitte Alsted - en biografi - ",("Birgitte Alsted -a Biography"), Københavns Universitet juli 2004 (University of Copenhagen july 2004)

z3art@mobilixnet.dk

Links:

www.Kvinder i Musik.dk

www.komponistforeningen.dk

www.kvinfo.dk/side/170/bio/288/

www.snyk.dk

tove.krag@dkdm.dk