Talks, papers and lectures

Besides papers at conferences and scientific meetings, I give popular talks on topics centering around my specialities. These are accompanied by audiovisual presentations and—according to the subject of the talk—demonstrations of musical instruments and sound tools.

I have given talks at museums, libraries, institutions and organizations, including The Østfold Museum Foundation, The Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Sommerøya Elektronika Festival, Museum of Cultural History (Oslo), Numedal Medieval Festival, Midgard Viking Centre, Rotary and U3A. 

The following list contains a selection of popular talks, guest lectures and conference presentations.

2023 Würzburg

A 4th century stringed musical instrument from Azilkhan Bidayik-asar (Aral region, Kazakhstan)

12th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology (ISGMA), Universität Würzburg, 25 September

2023 Kristiansand

Messesang, massesang og klassesang: Fellessangens politiske kraft

Sanglyrikkseminar med tema politisk sang. University of Agder, 10 May

2022 Cambridge

The musical instrument from Bidayik-asar, Kazakhstan: hypotheses regarding its use and its possible place within the lyre family

With Azilkhan Tazhekeyev. Seminar series, Asian Archaeology Group, University of Cambridge, 9 November (digital version)

2022 Larvik

Lyd og musikk til sjøs

Forskningsdagene and Camelot Escape Room. Sanden Kafé og Bar, Bølgen Kulturhus, 28 September

2022 Borre

Rytmens redskaper – puls og perkusjon

Midgard vikingsenter, 17 March

2022 Bergen

Sang som våpen

Sang i barnehage og skole (SangBarSk), network conference (digital version), 28 January (digital version)

2021 Berlin

Palaeolithic Strings? Experimental Approaches

11th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology (ISGMA), Humboldt Forum, 1 November

2021 Borre

Apollons og Gunnars instrument. Lyrer og lyrespill i europeisk historie

Midgard Vikingsenters Venneforening and Vikinger i Vestfold og Telemark, 22 April (digital version)

2020 Borre

Praktiske eksperimenter i musikkens og lydens arkeologi

Norsk forum for eksperimentell arkeologi 2020, Midgard vikingsenter, 19 September

2020 Oslo

Om instrumentenes dype røtter

Klangen før fela, Riksscenen, 25 January

2020 Tjøme

Musikk og ritualer i to millioner år

Havna Seminaret 2020, NOPA. Scandic Havna, Tjøme, 14 January

2019 Almaty

A Scandinavian View on Music Archaeology: Research, Directions, Methodology, and Materials

International scientific and practical conference “Ancient Musical Instruments Found in Archaeological Excavations: Problems of Collection and Research”. Museum of Folk Musical Instruments Named after Ylas, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 25 October

2019 Shenmu

The Ancient Jew’s Harp and the Value of Archaeology

International Symposium on the Jew’s Harp – New Discovery of the Archaeological Site in Shimao Huangchengtai. Yancheng Huafu Hotel, Shenmu, Shaanxi, China, 22 September

2019 Novgorod

Scandinavian Lyres in Archaeology and Iconography

Slovisha Musical Antiquities Festival. Center for Music Antiquities, Veliky Novgorod, 24 August

2019 Stavanger

Fortidas fjerne toner og musikkens arkeologi

Senior group of the Masonic Brothers, 20 February

2018 Oslo

Klokkene ringer for deg: Bøndenes, gårdsarbeidernes og gjeternes klangunivers

Norges lyder. Seminar, National Library of Norway, 21 November

2018 Fagernes

Musikk som tidskapsel?

Musikk og dans på museum – kulturarv eller levande samtidsuttrykk? Valdres Folk Museum, Fagernes, 22 October

2018 Barcelona

Sound Communication in Non-Reverberating Acoustical Spaces

24th Annual Meeting, European Association of Archaeologists, University of Barcelona, 8 September

2018 Reichenau

Political Activism and the Green Musical Wave in Norway

Participatory Approaches to Music and Democracy, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Hotel Marienhof, Reichenau and der Rax, 10 August

2017 Tokyo

Understrings and Overtones

Concert with talk (with Emy Sakai), Sarasya, Mitaka, Tokyo, 7 July

2017 Tokyo

Music Archaeology in Scandinavia

Meeting of Japan Music Archaeology Studying Group, Nezu, Tokyo, 1 July

2017 Oslo

Hva kjennetegner de reisendes musikk?

‘Romanifolkets/taternes språk og musikk – og Eilert Sundts bidrag til deres historie’. Seminar arranged by the Language Council of Noway, Oslo, 22 June

2017 Molde

Folk og musikk – før, etter og med fela

Museumsfestuka, Romsdalsmuseet, Molde, 17 February

2016 Wuhan

The Earliest Excavated Jew’s Harps: A Find From a Lower Xiajiadian Site in Liaoning Province

10th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology, Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, China, 24 October

2016 Nesodden

Når startet våre forfedre og formødre å nynne, synge, spille og danse? Og hvorfor gjorde de det?

U3A Nesodden, Samfunnshuset, 10 March

2015 Drøbak

Instrumenter og musikk i hansatiden

Follo Museum, Drøbak, 15 October

2015 Oslo

Rytmer fra fortida og groovens arkeologi

Sommerøya Electronica Festival, Sukkerbiten, 22 August

2015 Biskupin

The Musical Bow in Prehistorical Europe

14th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music Archaeology. Biskupin Archaeological Museum, Poland, 17 August

2015 Fagernes

Konstruksjon, rekonstruksjon, revitalisering, modernisering. Noen refleksjoner om strategier for bruk av fortidas instrumenter

Annual seminar of Norsk folkemusikklag, Valdres Folk Museum, Fagernes, 23 April

2015 Tianjin

The Jew’s Harp. An Ethnographical and Archaeological Introduction

Guest lecture, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Tianjin, China, 14 April

2015 Rauland

Instrumenter, musikk og lydlandskap fra steinalder til vikingtid

Rauland historielag, Kaffibaren, Rauland, 26 March

2014 Gdansk

Some Experiences and Reflections around Ringing Stones in Norway

Sounding Stones International Conference, Gdansk Archaeological Museum, 14 December

2014 Nordfjordeid

Lecture with demonstration and concert

Leikvin, 6 December

2014 Berlin

Jew’s Harps of Bone, Wood and Metal: How to Understand Construction, Classification and Chronology?

9th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology, Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin, 12 September

2013 Nesodden

Folkemusikk fra Nesodden

Nesodden historielag. Ekelund, Berger, 14 November

2013 Tuddal

Lydlandskap, musikk og miljø

Musikkforedrag på kjerringkveld, bygdetunet, 1 October

2013 Notodden

Smak, kvalitet og verdi i folkekulturen

Lecture at PhD-course, Telemark University College, Notodden Campus, 22 April

2013 Vilnius

Music Archaeology. Material, Methods, Musical Possibilities

International Conference NordTrad 2013, LMTA, Vilnius, 17 April

2013 Ed

«Reisendemusikk – møtenes musikk». Interview with Nora Pettersen.

Resandefolkets (minst) 500 år i Skandinavien, arr. Østfoldmuseene, Romanifolket/taternes kulturfond m. fl., Ed, Dalsland, 15 September

2012 Drøbak

Musikk, kommunikasjon og grenser. Betyr musikk noe, og i så fall: Hvorfor betyr det det det betyr?

Concert lecture, Olsok. Follo museum, 29 July

2012 Nore

Munnharpas kulturhistorie

Lecture, tunkveld, Sevletunet. Arrangement under middelalderuka i Numedal, 27 July

2012 Derry

New Directions in Contemporary Fiddle Playing in Norway

North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, University of Ulster, Derry, 1 July

2012 Oulu

Classification of Sound Tools and Soundscapes of and in Ancient Societies

XII Nordic TAG, University of Oulu, 25 April

2011 Rauland

Musisering som metode, medium og mål

Lecture at the seminar ‘Fenomenologi i kulturstudiene’ (‘Phenomenology in Cultural Studies’), Telemark University College, 3 November

2011 Oslo

Romanifolkets musikalske uttrykksformer

Presentation of research project at ‘Contact forum between national minorities and the central authorities”, arranged by The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs (FAD), Oslo, 31 October

2011 Elverum

Vern og videreføring av de reisendes musikktradisjoner

Seminar of Norwegian Museums Association ‘Museene og formidling av vår mangfoldige kulturarv’. Glomdalsmuseet, Elverum, 27 April

2010 Gjøvik

The Early Lyre in Scandinavia

3rd Nordic Harp Meeting, Gjøvik, 6 November

2010 Hernes

Music archaeology, lecture with demonstration

Kultursalongen, Hernes, 23 October

2010 Vasa

Folkemusikk i Norge anno 2010: Nye scener, medier og identiteter

Seminar ‘Tradition och innovation – den nya folkmusiken’, arr. Finlands svenska folkmusikinstitut/Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, Vasa, 16 October

2010 Tianjin

Tradition: Between Past and Present in Music Archaeology

7th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, 21 September

2010 Askeby

Musik i och genom tiden

Askeby klosterkyrka, Åkerbo forsamling, 3 Östergötland, 1 July

2010 Oslo

Norwegian folk instruments

Guest lecture, Norwegian Academy of Music, 26 April

2009 Halden

’Romanifolkets musikalske uttrykksformer’ Forskningsprosjekt støttet av NFR

En gang var vi som vinden. Nordisk kvedarseminar (arr. Norsk kvedarforum, Norsk folkemusikklag og Østfold musikkråd), Halden, 5 September

2009 Helsinki

‘See My Fire’: Authenticity, Identity and a Norwegian Romani Song

Annual Meeting and Conference of the Gypsy Lore Society, University of Helsinki, 28 August. With Mary Barthelemy and Henning Gustavsen.

2009 London

Biographical Dictionary of Music Archaeology: A New Historiographical Initiative

Study Day on Historiographical Topics in Ethnomusicology and Music Archaeology, Institute of Musical Research, University of London, 4 June

2009 Rauland

Norden som musikalsk region. Bevegelser i folkemusikalske landskap, stiler og identiteter

Annual Seminar of Norsk Folkemusikklag, Telemark University College, 12 February

2008 Oslo

The Musical Expressions of the Romani People in Norway – a Preliminary Report from a Research Project

Research seminar The music and culture of the Romani People in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Norwegian Collection of Folk Music, University of Oslo, 8 November

2008 Oslo

Interview with Reidar Sevåg on the revitalization of the jew’s harp in the 1960s

Annual festival of Norsk munnharpeforum, 13 September

2008 Berlin

The Problem of Ethnocentricity in Music Archaeology

6th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology, Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin, 9 September

2008 Prague

National Heritage and the Norwegian Romanies

Joint paper with Mary Barthelemy and Atle Lien Jenssen at the fifth meeting of the ICTM Study Group Music and Minorities, arr. Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, 26 May

2006 Berlin

Animal Bells in Early Scandinavian Soundscapes

5th Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology, Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin, 20 September

2006 Varna

Development of Musical Style and Identity Among the Romani People of Norway

Fourth Meeting of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Minorities, arr. Bulgarian Academy of Science, Varna, 27 August

2005 Nesodden

Music and archaeology

Kiwanis Nesodden, 28 September

2005 Gjøvik

Munnharpefunnet fra Vardal – smiingstradisjon med utgangspunkt i et lokalt funn

Talk at the 11th jew’s harp festival (Norsk munnharpeforum and Gjøvik Spelmannslag), 17 September

2005 Oslo

Utgravde klanger: Arkeologi som kilde til musikkhistorie

Directorate of Cultural Heritage, lunch talk, 14 August

2003 Rauland

Folk art and aesthetics

Traditional arts, MA. Guest lectures, Telemark University College, Department of Norwegian Folk Culture, 3–4 November

2001 Rauland

Christian Leden (1882–1957) – a Forgotten Ethnomusicologist of Arctic Peoples

European Seminar in Ethnomusicology (ESEM), 17th Annual Conference, 7 September

 

2000 Bergen

Perspectives on archaeological music research

Guest lecture, University of Bergen, The Grieg Academy, 4 April

1999 Turku

Searching for Music of the Past: Evidence and Experience

The Skagerak Network, Research seminar, Turku (Åbo), 1 October

1999 Oslo

Fortidens musikk (The Music of the Past)

Historisk museum, 14 March

1998 Michaelstein

Archaeological Jew’s Harp Finds in Europe: Chaos or Coherence?

1st Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology, Kloster Michaelstein, Germany, 21 May

1997 Oslo

Analysemetoder hos Blacking og Feld: Kulturell musikk eller musikalsk kultur?

The Skagerak Network, Research seminar, Lysebu, Oslo, 21 November

1997 York

The Archaeology of the European Jew’s Harp

Presentation of research project, York Archaeological Trust, 28 October

1997 Kristiansand

Music Archaeology, an introduction

Kristiansand Waldorf School, open day, 14 June