PUNKT EDITIONS

PUNKT 2023

Punkt 2023: A Celebration of Innovation and Collaboration

Punkt is delighted to announce its 19th edition, taking place from 31 August to 2 September. Curated by Jan Bang, Erik Honoré and David Toop, this year's festival showcases an extraordinary diversity of genres and artistic expressions, with a focus on commissioned works, new constellations and premieres.

The Punkt concept revolves around live remixing, where artists reinterpret and remix live performances, creating a unique atmosphere that encourages collaborations and improvisation. This has become a hallmark of the festival, which has also visited close to 30 cities with its unique concept. The 2023 edition of Punkt will feature a remarkable lineup of performances: 

Violinist and composer Benedicte Maurseth will perform her «Best Nordic album of the year» winning «Hárr» with her band consisting of Mats Eilertsen, Håkon Stene and Morten Qvenild. This concert will be preceded by Syrian-Norwegian oud player Khaled Habeeb and live-sampler John Derek Bishop.

As part of a two-year collaboration with curator Piotr Turkiewicz, the In Situ Foundation and the Sokołowsko Jazz Festival, three commissioned concerts by new constellations of Polish and Norwegian musicians will be presented at Punkt 2023: A quartet consisting of Maciej Obara, Anja Lauvdal, Ole Morten Vågan and Veslemøy Narvesen; the duo Erlend Apneseth and Joanna Duda; as well as the highly renowned Lutosławski Quartet in collaboration with Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang and Erik Honoré.

Two new French acquaintances open the Saturday program: Harpist and singer Sophye Soliveau and the innovative sax/prepared piano duo Cycles (Sol Léna-Schroll and Clément Merienne).

Also on Saturday, TAU 5 (Philipp Gropper, Philip Zoubek, Ludwig Wandinger, Felix Henkelhausen, Moritz Baumgärtner)  will present «complex rhythms, the merging of electronic and acoustic sounds against the background of the newer jazz tradition».

The festival will also host the release concert of Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang's new album on Punkt Editions, «Last Two Inches of Sky», where the duo is joined on stage by Hamid Drake, Audun Erlien, and Sophye Soliveau, and a concert of new works by Icelandic composer and bassist Skúli Sverrisson, who comes to Punkt with Davíð Þór Jónsson, an acclaimed musician and film music composer in his own right, as well as singer and instrumentalist Ólöf Arnalds.

Last year, renowned poet and long time Punkt friend and contributor Nils Christian Moe-Repstad sadly passed away. His work will be celebrated in this year’s opening concert by David Toop, Mark Wastell, Michael Duch, Jan Bang and Erik Honoré.

The live remixers this year will include Lasse MarhaugNour SokhonHamid Drake / Even Sigurdsen RøstadØyvind BrandtseggAlexandra Hellesnes Revold / DJ Strangefruit, and Norwegian and Polish students who’ll take part in a Live Remix Workshop.

Punkt Seminar

Expanding on its commitment to knowledge exchange and creative research, Punkt will present an extensive seminar program in collaboration with the University of Agder. The Punkt Seminar, curated and hosted by David Toop, will feature Georgian sound artist and composer Mariam Gviniashvili, Lebanese sound artist Nour Sokhon, British multi-media artist Haroon Mirza, US post-conceptual artist Cory Arcangel, Estonian visual and performance artist Ania Psenitsnikova, and US born, Oslo based multi-media artist Camille Norment, offering attendees an insight into the creative process of contemporary music and related art forms.

Punkt Seminar is supported by Createme, the newly established Centre for Excellence in higher education, seated at The University of Agder.

 

To purchase tickets, please visit this page: TICKETS

About Punkt

Founded in 2005 by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré, Punkt has become an essential event for music enthusiasts who seek to explore innovative sounds and artistic expressions. With its distinctive Live Remix concept, the festival has garnered international acclaim and has been celebrated for its emphasis on collaboration and boundary-pushing performances.

PUNKT 2022

Punkt 2022 (1-3 September): Sidsel Endresen tribute, launch of Punkt Editions label, Avant Joik, Bugge Wesseltoft, David Toop, Nils Petter Molvær, Dai Fujikura, commissioned work by Martin Horntveth and more

Punkt 2022 will take place 1 – 3 September with a return to original venue Teateret, taking over the entire building for a series of concerts and live remixes featuring an exciting and diverse array of artists from the ever expanding Punkt international family.

The festival will open this year with a landmark concert on Thursday 1 September, seeing Punkt celebrate long-time friend and collaborator Sidsel Endresen with a special 70th anniversary tribute concert. Endresen is one of Norway’s most groundbreaking artists and has been hugely influential internationally, with a prolific and diverse career. The evening will feature many of the artists Endresen has worked with and inspired: Bugge Wesseltoft, Solveig Slettahjell,  Nils Petter Molvær, Django Bates, Stian Westerhus, Michael Duch, David Toop, Jan Bang and Erik Honoré. Also the same evening British polymath David Toop will be joined by Torben Snekkestad and Søren Kjærgaard to perform as a trio for an exciting one-off concert. 

On Friday 2 September, Punkt Editions will launch, which is the brand new platform for Punkt related music, artwork and literature. Punkt Editions will be an archive of 18 years of sonic experimentation, as well as a future-focussed label and arthouse. Punkt Editions will release live and studio recordings from the vaults, as well as brand new recordings produced or curated by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré. The evening’s concert will include music from Punkt Editions debut forthcoming release, Jan Bang and Dai Fujikura’s album ‘The Bow Maker’ plus the premiere of more exciting material to be released on the label.

The Friday will also feature a new acqaintance to the Punkt family, Karja/Renard/Wandinger, a next generation Estonian/French/German trio led by pianist/composer Kirke Karja. The trio performed at Punkt@Banlieues Bleues in Paris in April, and following on from Paris, they will again be live remixed by Jan Bang, Erik Honoré and Eivind Aarset.

Friday evening will also feature Avant Joik, an innovative project from Maja S. K. Ratkje (vocals and live electronics) and Katarina Barruk (vocals/joik). Avant Joik blends joik – the traditional, indigenous Sámi singing form – with an electronic, experimental palette, evoking the eerie, contemplative atmospheres of the north, with live visuals by Matti Aikio.

On Saturday 3 September, Punkt will present this year’s commissioned work from drummer, composer and Jaga Jazzist co-founder Martin Horntveth’s new project Gouldian Finch who will perform the piece ‘Superego’ with a band consisting of Ståle Storløkken on keyboards, Petter Eldh on bass and Martin Horntveth on drums and electronics, plus several guests including Oslo based rapper Vuyo.

The Saturday program will also feature more next generation excellence, from the flautist Michaela Antalová and bassist Adrian Myhr, who as a duo released the stunning album ‘Zvony’ in 2021, plus Zenith Award winners Trio Heinz Herbert from Switzerland performing their intricate and energetic blend of rhythms and textures.

With live remixes a central part of Punkt’s DNA, alongside Bang, Honoré and Aarset, the electronics/spoken word trio Bendik Baksaas, Fredrik Høyer and Tobias Grønborg are confirmed as remixers, and also Bugge Wesseltoft / Sebastian Studnitzky.

Punkt also has its daytime programme of Punkt Seminars, curated and hosted by the hugely influential musician and author David Toop. This year’s seminar guests include Karen Power, Luke Fowler, Alexandra Spence – and Sidsel Endresen.

Punkt Festival 2022