Dorcas Norre was born on March 31, 1911, in Malmberget, and passed away on November 15, 1985, in Stockholm. She studied piano at the Stockholm Academy of Music from 1932 to 1937, and upon graduating, she was awarded the Musical Academy's jetong. That same year, she made her debut as a concert pianist in her hometown of Malmberget.
She continued her musical education with further piano studies under Olov Wibergh, studied instrumentation with Ivar Hellman, and composition with Henrik Melcher Melchers. Norre was later active as a piano teacher at Stockholm’s municipal piano school and led instructional series for music teacher candidates between 1969 and 1974.
In 1969, she received a travel grant to study piano at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Guido Agosti and also participated in lessons led by composer Goffredo Petrassi. The following year, she studied electronic music as part of the STIM course in 1970.
The majority of Dorcas Norre’s compositions are chamber works, characterized by a rich sonic imagination expressed through intimate and refined forms. A notable example is her Sonat commozioni for solo cello (1977), followed by a sonata for cello and piano. These pieces offer a clear insight into her artistic approach: