Sofia Jernberg
Singer
Sofia Jernberg is a Swedish experimental singer, composer, improviser and performer, born in Ethiopia 1983. She grew up in Ethiopia, Vietnam and Sweden.
One of her deepest interests as a singer is to explore the “instrumental” possibilities of the voice. Her singing vocabulary includes sounds and techniques that often contradict a conventional singing style. She has dug deep into non verbal vocalizing, split tone singing, pitchless and distorted singing.
Music theater/Contemporary Opera
She has performed several staged music theater pieces like Arnold Schönberg’s ”Pierrot Lunaire”, Salvatore Sciarrinos "Lohengrin”. Composers have written roles especially with her in mind like in Emily Hall’s ”Folie à Deux and Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s ”UR:”.
Coming up!
She will be singing Pierrot Lunaire at Wiener Festwochen 2021, staged by choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas, conducted by Ingo Metzmacher with musicians from Klangforum Wien.
In 2021/2022 she will premier composer Chaya Czernowin’s latest piece ”ATARA” composed for baritone Holger Falk, Jernberg and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In 2021/2022 she will be working with choreographer Erna Ómardóttir, Hildur Guðnadóttir (Chernobyl, The Joker), electric bass hero Skúli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed) and Valdimar Jóhannsson in ”Orpheus & Eurydice”.
Visual Art
She has performed together with visual artist Camille Norment and was part of her piece ”Rapture” (Venice Biennale 2015, Nordic Pavillion) and ”Lull” (Festspillene i Bergen 2016).
She is featured in an 80 minute cinematic work, ”Union of the North”, by Matthew Barney, Erna Ómarsdóttir and Valdimar Jóhannsson.
She is central in an audiovisual work by visual artist Kristina Norman and composer Märt - Matis Lill exhibited in Tallin art museum in feb 2018.
Coming up!
Currently she is planning her contribution inside British artist Sonia Boyce new work. Sonia Boyce will represent Britain at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.
For Mahgany Opera: Folie à Deux.
Photo credit: Jon Edergren.
