Folk Music Prize awarded to Hilde Bjørkum

During the County Competition in Sogndal on March 2-3, Hilde Bjørkum was awarded the Folk Music Prize 2018. Here you can read the reasons for the award:

Few people have distinguished themselves within folk music in the county like this person.

Impressively, this year's prize winner has maintained his enthusiasm for local folk music while also being deeply involved nationally and internationally, and he is able to work for and convey the joy of folk music at both an amateur and professional level.

The prizewinner was the first employed secretary of the Sogn og Fjordane Folk Music Association, and held this job from 1983-1986. From 1986-1989 she was the first folk music archivist in the county, and since 1989, with few interruptions, she has been the daily manager/director of Førde International Folk Music Festival.

Then I would like to ask Hilde Bjørkum to come on stage. Hilde has played the Hardanger fiddle in Indre Sunnfjord Spelemannslag her entire adult life and was an active dancer. In the 1980s and 90s she participated in several tours for the Rikskonsertane (school concerts) in Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland and Hedmark. She has won the National Competition in dance Hardingfele class A several times and has the King's Cup from 1989. In 1992-1993 she worked for a year as a county musician in Sogn og Fjordane.

In 2005, Hilde Bjørkum was awarded the Rff Prize. The Council for Folk Music and Folk Dance's honorary prize for people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the field of folk music and/or folk dance. In 2015, Hilde Bjørkum received the County Culture Prize for her work in Førdefestivalen .

As director of Førde Hilde Bjørkum has put Sogn og Fjordane and Norway on the map at the International Folk Music Festival. Every year, around 300 artists from all over the world presented from 30 stages through 80-100 different festival events for about 26,000 visitors each year. She has given many young and talented folk musicians the opportunity to appear before a competent audience, and has shown great creativity in developing and renewing the festival. Hilde is now entering her last period as festival director and we are therefore extra happy to be able to honor her now.

It is a great honor to present this year's Folk Music Award to Hilde Bjørkum. Congratulations!

The Folk Music Award is an honorary award and is presented every other year to a person, group or organization that has made a special contribution to folk music in the county. The award is presented by the Sogn og Fjordane Folk Music Association and consists of a lithographic print by Ludvig Eikaas.

Previous recipients of the Folk Music Award are Svein Nesje (2016), Elin Grytting (2014), Jon Oddvar Kandal (2012), Einar Eimhjellen (2010), Harald Hesjevoll (2008), Arne M. Sølvberg (2006), Ingrid Søyland (2004), Petter Eide (2002), Sigmund Eikås (2000), Oline Løvlid (1998), Maria and Lars Ryssdal (1996), Anna and Ragnvald Lunde / Martha Seljeseth Frøland (1994), Svein Skjerdal (1992), Peder Raad / Johanna and Nils Ormberg (1990), Gudveig and Ingolf Iversen / Sjur Hesjevoll (1988) and Paul Berstad (1986).