Håkon Mørch Stene
Håkon Mørch Stene (b. 1977) plays both the frame drum in Draumkvedet and balloon in Scratch by Wallin, all carrying a natural air. Stene studied percussion at the Norwegian Academy of Music and took a master’s degree as a DAAD scholar at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg. Stene is a natural participant in musical projects moving between different genres, in new music as well as in medieval and baroque dance. Other interdisciplinary co-operation projects have spurred with Nils Økland and Jono el Grande & the Luxury Band.
Stene claims that most of what is termed ”percussion”, are in fact vaguely defined instruments, being more tools that are made to realize certain tones in certain pieces. More importantly, it is about being open to the production of new sounds and to adapt to a broad range of techniques, rather than limiting the scope to aptly control an instrument in the classic manner. That’s why Stene considers the free room known as ”new music” as a creative and good place to be.
As a contemporary musician, he first and foremost unfolds through the ensemble asamisimasa, the percussion duo TWINE and the Oslo Sinfonietta. He regularly works with other composers on various works and development of new percussion instruments.