Kirsten Marie Bråten Berg (born 7 January 1950 in Arendal, Norway) is a Norwegian traditional folk singer, silversmith, and government scholar. She is currently living in Valle Municipality in the Setesdal area of southern Norway. She trained as a silversmith at the Torleiv H. Bjørgums Vocational College (Oslo Yrkesskole an Torleiv H. Bjørgums) in Setesdal and then set up her own workshop there, in Nomeland.
Career She began singing traditional Norwegian folk songs in the 1970s and since the late 1970s has given concerts and made recordings, winning Spellemannprisen awards (the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy award) in 1979 and 1988. She met the bass player Arild Andersen in 1990 and became a member of his group in 1992.
Bråten Berg's interest in the Norwegian folksong tradition has led her to meet and learn from older Norwegian musicians and people or from recordings of their music-making. Alongside figures such fiddler Hallvard Bjørgum, she exemplifies those Norwegian folk musicians trying to carry their tradition into modern times.
In 2005 she was made a Knight First Class of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in recognition of her work as a performer and ambassador of Norwegian culture.
She has also collaborated with West African musicians on the CD From Senegal to Setesdal.
Honors 1988: Spellemannprisen in the class Traditional music, for the album Min kvedarlund 1991: Gammlengprisen in the class Vocal music 1993: Spellemannprisen in the class Music for children, for the album Våre beste barnesanger 2 1997: Radka Toneff Memorial Award 2005: Knight First Class of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav
Memberships She is foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
Select discography 1979: Slinkombas 1980: Kirsten Bråten Berg 1982: Slinkombas og bas igjen 1984: SetesDalarna 1988: Min kvedarlund 1991: Joletid 1992: Sagn 1992 1993: Suede et Norvège 1993: Arv 1993: Våre beste barnesanger 2 1993: Cohen på norsk 1996: Pilgrimen 1997: Frå Senegal til Setesdal 1997: From Senegal to Setesdal (Six Degrees Records, San Francisco) 1999: Smak av himmel, spor av jord 2000: Runarstreng 2001: Syng du mi røyst 2005: Stemmenes skygge (Heilo), with Marilyn Mazur and Lena Willemark 2007: Stev for dagen, with Astri Rysstad and Kari Rolfsen 2010: Songen 2012: Nordic Woman 2021: Kvitravn, with Wardruna
References
External links Brief biography at New Albion Records' website (includes portrait photograph). released by Grappa Music.