By Rand Husseini
Sissel Kyrkjebo, the Scandinavian star who sang in the movie ?Titanic,? will sing in a special concert at BYU this Saturday.
The BYU Norwegian Scholarship Program and the School of Music are pleased to present an evening that features Sissel?s vocal talent. Sissel is well known all over Europe from her albums going gold and platinum in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. International audiences may be more familiar with her voice than her name, as she received international exposure with her performance at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
The 36-year-old Norwegian singer released her first album ?Sissel? in 1986, which sold more than 300,000 copies ? a record-breaking number in Norway. Also, after she was selected ?Name of the Year? in Norway, Sissel released her first album in the United States in October of 2002.
Sissel, who plays a mix of classical, pop and folk music, performed with the London Symphony Orchestra on her album, ?My Heart,? and with Placido Domingo and Charles Asnavour in their 1994 album ?Christmas in Vienna.? She can also be heard on the latest album from the Irish group the Chieftains, ?Tears of Stones.?
Sissel plays a variety of music to keep things interesting.
?I have to do different styles,? Sissel said in an interview with Grammy Magazine in August 2004. ?If I were to only do classical music, it would be boring to me.?
An 18-piece orchestra and a chorus comprised of local musicians will perform with Sissel this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets are $12 and are available at the Harris Fine Arts Center ticket office.
While in Utah, Sissel will also appear in a broadcast of ?Music and the Spoken Word? with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which will air on this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. from the Conference Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Her appearances in Utah are part of the U.S. tribute to Norway?s Centennial Celebration.
