Instrumentation: string orch
Maja S.K. Ratkje (b. 1973) is a Norwegian composer, vocalist, and performer known for her boundary-pushing work in experimental and contemporary classical music. Based in Oslo, she works across a wide spectrum of formats—from chamber music and orchestral works to opera, electronic music, improvisation, and interdisciplinary performance.
Ratkje studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music under Lasse Thoresen, Olav Anton Thommessen, and Asbjørn Schaathun, and continued studies at IRCAM and with composers including Louis Andriessen, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Kaija Saariaho. She is a founding member of the Norwegian improv quartet SPUNK, and performs internationally with a variety of collaborators including Jaap Blonk, Lasse Marhaug, Stephen O’Malley, and Zeena Parkins.
Her music has been performed by leading ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, Klangforum Wien, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Sinfonietta, and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, among others. She has appeared as a vocal soloist with orchestras and chamber groups across Europe, often performing her own works such as the Concerto for Voice and Orchestra and the large-scale choral-electronic piece Crepuscular Hour.
Ratkje’s diverse output includes opera (No Title Performance), works for dance and theatre, installations, and sound art. Notable works include Gagaku Variations, Korall Koral (a baby opera), Sinus Seduction, and Essential Extensions. She has been composer-in-residence at several international festivals and was twice profiled by the Other Minds Festival in San Francisco.
She was the first Norwegian recipient of the Arne Nordheim Composer’s Prize (2001), and has received multiple honors including two Edvard Prizes, the UNESCO Rostrum Award, and a Prix Ars Electronica Award of Distinction for her groundbreaking solo album Voice.
In addition to her creative work, Ratkje is a published author (Stemmer. Eksperimentell kvinneglam), a former music critic, and an outspoken environmental advocate. She refuses commissions or performances sponsored by the oil industry and is a member of the climate action group Stopp oljesponsing av norsk kulturliv.
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