Improvisasjon – stemme – uttrykk: Sidsel Endresens vokalpedagogiske praksis

The work of Sidsel Margrethe Endresen (b. 1952) has made a significant impact in the field of higher music education in Norway. A common thread in her artistic and pedagogical practice is a pioneering exploration of the possibilities and boundaries of the human voice and of vocal musical expressions. In this article, Endresen’s agency is viewed as an example of pedagogical and artistic innovation in relation to general processes of transformation within the field of higher music education in Norway, wherein change concerns genre as well as values ascribed to different arenas of music performance (Angelo et al., 2021; Dyndahl et al., 2016; Tønsberg, 2013; Weisethaunet, 2021). As such, Endresen’s pedagogical achievement may be understood in relation to its innovative potential, yet also as an indication of modifications in institutional practices, methods, content, and goals. Through ethnographic encounter the author seeks to shed light on Endresen’s own views and experiences in relation to an artistic-pedagogical approach. This inquiry is linked to current research on the significance of improvisation in music and anthropological research on “vocal knowledge” (Feld et al., 2004; Eidsheim, 2015; Gautier, 2014) – what does it mean “to have voice”, and what is the significance of “vocal knowledge” in the contexts of contemporary music performance and education?