Komponistportrett Kjell Mørk Karlsen

Mørk Karlsen showed interest in composition at an early age, when he was given the task by his father of transcribing early choral music by composers such as Schütz and Praetorius and providing it with Norwegian texts. The close contact with early classical vocal polyphony has had a great influence on his own music. The same can be said about his affiliation with the Musica Sacra movement, a milieu where the influence of composer Egil Hovland was particularly strong.
A number of Mørk Karlsen’s works have been commissioned by Norwegian and international cultural institutions. He has been awarded several prizes and has won a number of composition contests. In addition to his work as church musician and composer, he has held many positions in various Norwegian cultural, church, and professional associations.
In 2009 Kjell Mørk Karlsen was honoured by the Norwegian King Harald V to be a “Knight of the Saint Olafs order” for his activities as a musician and composer.
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