Student project: Ensemble LIME

The enthusiasm of composition student Ida Grande Kaurin shines through the Zoom window all the way from Paris, where she is currently on exchange. In a few days, there will be a debut concert with Kaurin's brainchild: Ensemble LIME - reportedly the Academy's first microtonal ensemble.

She gives composer and former teacher Jon Øivind Næss some of the credit for introducing her to the tones between the notes. A new world opened up when she realized that she could put a quarter tone between two semitones.

- I was completely mind blown. I've gone from having twelve notes to as many as I want. There is so much to discover, so much to try out. I felt that there was no turning back now, she says.

Through a school assignment where she had to present the ideal concert experience, the idea of her own ensemble was born. She laughs as she explains that she got pretty bad feedback on the assignment. Nevertheless, she couldn't let go of the idea and started checking the temperature of her fellow students and musicians.

- So, I started asking people very carefully, is this a good idea or is it completely megalomaniacal?

According to Kaurin, many musicians find microtonality a little scary. But, by creating an ensemble where the premise is to give this music space, perhaps the exploration she wants will take place.

She believes it's really just a matter of a kind of “doorstep mile”. It can be difficult to get started when you suddenly don't have to relate to the circle of fifths and everything that is familiar and rehearsed. Nevertheless, she says that working with practitioners, many of whom are new to the concept, has gone surprisingly well.

- But after the first workshop, everyone was incredibly tired. There are several impressions, I think, but it was surprising how quickly things improved and the musicians became more confident.

Composer and conductor Kai Grinde Myrann is the supervisor for the CEMPE-supported project.

- He can hear if the quarter tone is a bit out of tune, says Kaurin, adding that although not all musicians have such a fine-tuned ear, it is not as difficult to train as one might think.

She is concerned that quarter tones in well-constructed material do not sound out of tune or wrong. It's important that the musicians don't feel like they're playing off-key.

The participants in the ensemble are not yet permanent, but through workshops the musicians will also gain educational benefits from the project. Those who do not participate next time will still be left with something of substance.

In a manifesto Kaurin wrote in 2020, which grew out of the same interest, she states: "The temperate system only provides the conditions for a fraction of the music that can be written. This gives me an artistic headache!"

It sounds like you're some kind of missionary for microtonality?

- Absolutely, I feel like an activist against the well-tempered piano!

Fortunately, she says that the artistic headache has definitely lessened a bit. Making good use of more sequences than we're used to gives her an elevated musical experience. She wants to give more people the same opportunity to discover this.

Kaurin will soon take a break from life in the French capital and travel to Oslo for a few days to attend Ensemble LIME's debut concert.

- When my baby goes out into the world, I have to be there, she says.

She hopes that the concert will attract a curious audience who wonder what microtones really are. Among other things, she mentions that students from the jazz and independent graduate program have shown interest in writing for the ensemble this spring.

This is perhaps what the composer is most looking forward to - experiencing the different interpretations of the assignment. She also mentions the piece by composer and professor Eivind Buene, which will get a pre-premiere at the concert. The piece was commissioned by Klangforum Wien, one of the most established contemporary music ensembles.

What is your microtonal recommendation for beginners?

- I have a YouTube list that I run and send out to people who ask.

Kaurin laughs and lists a number of names, including spectral composer and contemporary music pioneer Gérard Grisey, and Harry Partch, who made their own microtonal instruments. Musician Sevish makes microtonal pop, and not least: tutorials for those who really want to understand how microtonality works.

- We also think it's very funny that Trondheim Sinfonietta has changed its name to SiTron, and note that the citrus fruit is now well represented in contemporary music, Kaurin smiles slyly.