Morken, John Ole

John Ole Morken works as a free-lance fiddler. His primary interest lies in folk music, but he has also performed in other musical genres. He has been the leader of several fiddle groups and has served as musical director for a number of projects. He presents music from the Røros area as a solo fiddler, and has collected folk music from the Røros and Gauldalen areas for many years. He uses this material in many different ways, and makes a special effort to focus attention on material that is unfamiliar and infrequently performed. Morken is prepared to play his fiddle on practically any occasion, including parties, meetings, weddings and funerals. He composes and arranges music in a folk music style. He also has several years of experience as a fiddle teacher.

Major competition results, awards, grants, etc.: 1997: Received Protex Award 1998: Received Asmund Bjørken’s award for fiddlers 1999: Received Sør-Trøndelag County’s cultural grant 2000: Received Adresseavisen’s (regional newspaper) award for young, promising artists 2002: Received Holtålen Municipality’s cultural award 2006: Received Bergstad grant along with Olav Mjelva 2005: National Contest for Traditional Music: 1st place for fiddle, class B