Suzanne Ciani & 50 Years NSEM

Ultima and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Norwegian Studio for Electronic Music (NSEM) with a talk, pop-up exhibition and concert featuring synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani on Wednesday 21 May.

"Electrophony is here to stay," wrote Synne Skouen prophetically in Arbeiderbladet when NSEM was established at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter at Høvikodden in 1975.

Henie Onstad opened in 1968 and quickly became a vibrant centre for experimental music and art. Arne Nordheim, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Cathy Berberian and Kluster were among those who performed there in the early years. Concerts of electronic music in particular drew audiences with their unexpected sounds. But since there was no proper sound studio in Norway at the time, Norwegian composers had to travel far in order to create their music.

Thanks to the determined efforts of composers Arne Nordheim and Hal Clark, NSEM – the country’s first studio for electronic music – was established through a collaboration between NRK, the Norwegian Society of Composers, and the Oslo Conservatoire of Music (now the Norwegian Academy of Music).

A few years later, the studio was relocated and eventually closed, but its memories and myths live on – especially through the studio’s Buchla Series 502, a synthesiser and complete studio system that was considered one of the most advanced electronic music instruments of its time.

Programme

17:00 – 18:30 Auditorium
Pop-up exhibition and talk with Lasse Thoresen, Suzanne Ciani and Helge Sten

Composer Lasse Thoresen, a central figure in the development of the studio, reflects on the founding of NSEM and its significance for the Norwegian music scene at the time. Suzanne Ciani shares the history of Buchla and her own work with the instrument. Helge Sten, aka Deathprod, brings his own Buchla and talks about how he uses it to shape his dark, atmospheric soundscapes.

In NSEM’s former studio space, visitors can explore a pop-up exhibition in the form of an audio and video installation, based on material from the archives of those involved and Henie Onstad.

The exhibition is also open Thursday 22 May 11:00–20:00 and Friday–Sunday 23–25 May 11:00–17:00.

19:00 – 20:00 Studio
Concert with Suzanne Ciani

Five-time Grammy nominee Suzanne Ciani is known as “America’s first female synth hero”. She has released over twenty solo albums, including the synth classic Seven Waves (1982). Her music has been used in films, games and countless commercials – from Bally’s pinball machine Xenon to the iconic Coca-Cola sounds. Ciani has received the Moog Innovation Award and is inducted into Keyboard Magazine’s Hall of Fame alongside legends such as Bob Moog, Don Buchla and Dave Smith.

Ciani was among the first composers to adopt Buchla synthesisers, already in the late 1960s. She worked closely with inventor Don Buchla, and it was she who acted as courier when NSEM’s Buchla was brought from the USA to Norway in 1974. For this concert, she performs in quadraphonic sound using her own Buchla setup.

The doors open at 16:00. Between the talk and the concert, audience members with a valid concert ticket are welcome to visit the museum’s exhibitions and enjoy hot food and/or drinks at discounted prices in the museum café.