Ragnhild Furholt grew up with folk musicians in her family in a home filled with folk music. Her father Halvdan and uncle Otto are Hardanger fiddlers. She has learned her music from older sources in both Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties, and performs all genres of Norwegian vocal folk music. She focuses mainly on traditional performance, but has also worked together with musicians such as Leiv Solberg, Ånon Egeland, and her father and sister, Halvdan and Eldbjørg Furholt, for many years. Furholt has conducted a more experimental type of collaboration with Helene Waage on the baroque cello, in the programme Sidan Adam var liten. She has released two solo albums: Segner Syng (1997), which won a Spellemannspris (Norwegian Grammy), and …På alle strengjer (2001). She was one of the composers of the cabaret show Damer med drift, which had its premiere at the Josefine Viseklubb, Oslo, in 2003. In addition to being an active traditional singer, she has taught at the Institute of Folk Culture at Telemark College since 1989. She has held courses at the Ole Bull Academy, and has taught students at the Academy’s School for Vocal Studies and at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In 1999 she was awarded a Government Grant for Folk Musicians. Ragnhild Furholt is qualified to compete in the most difficult category, A, at the National Contest for Traditional Music, and has won the competition four times. In 2001 she received the King’s Trophy for her achievements. In 2006 she submitted her master’s thesis for cultural studies, on the subject of mediaeval ballads, to the Norwegian Academy of Music. She is currently working on a new album in which she will present vocal material that was transcribed by folk music collector L. M. Lindeman. Musicians Leiv Solberg and Birger Mistereggen will collaborate with her on this project.

Recordings

1981: Agderkrullar (together with Halvdan and Otto Furholt)
1997: Segner Syng (Grappa), solo recording
2001: …På alle strengjer (Lærdal musikkproduksjon), solo recording
2007: Lån meg vengjene (ta:lik)
 

Awards 

1997: Spellemannsprisen (Norwegian grammy) for album Segner Syng
1998: Årets Sogndøl (Sogndaler of the Year) 

Press/broadcasts

Folk Music Hour, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation P2 radio
Various radio and television programmes in Norway and elsewhere in Europe

This biography was produced by the Norwegian Traditional Music Agency.