Erik Borgir

The son of Norwegian musicians, Erik Borgir grew up in the USA and studied at Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory in Boston. His teachers included Steven Doane, Harvey Shapiro, Siegfried Palm, Menahem Pressler and the Alban Berg Quartet.

From 1993 to 2001, he performed in many European countries as a member of the internationally acclaimed Emanon Trio. He was also principal cellist of the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra, cellist with the RSO Stuttgart and a lecturer at the State University of Music in Trossingen.

He developed his fascination for contemporary music following an encounter with the composer Helmut Lachenmann in the 1990s. Although he now focuses primarily on the music of our time, he regards it as part of a historical continuum and works accordingly to overcome reservations and intellectual barriers towards contemporary music.

As a sought-after soloist and chamber musician, he regularly performs as a guest at all the major European festivals. Several renowned composers have written solo works for him, which are available on CD on labels such as Neos and Cybele.

Erik Borgir has been a lecturer in cello and chamber music at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts–Music since 2011. There he also heads the Studio for Contemporary Music and the corresponding degree programmes. He is one of the founding members of Ascolta.