Solveig Slettahjell has received the prestigious Norwegian jazz award "Buddyprisen" - following in the footsteps of past awardees such as Jan Garbarek, Jon Christensen, Sidsel Endresen, Bugge Wesseltoft or Nils Petter Molvær.
The jury stated: "After almost 25 years, Solveig Slettahjell has long since established herself as one of the country's leading jazz vocalists and songwriters. In 1997 she started her “Slow Motion Orchestra” which lead to six album releases and the Norwegian “Spellemannsprisen” award in 2004. Slettahjell has also received, among others, the “Radka Toneffs Minnespris” (2005), the Kongsberg Jazzfestival's Award ( 2005) and the “Gammeleng Prize” (2012). In recent years, she has made a name for herself with the “Trail of Souls” project together with Knut Reiersrud and the trio “In The Country”. Solveig Slettahjell's work as an educator has also been of great importance. She completed her major in performimg arts with a thesis on «The rythmical aspect of phrasing» at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2000, and has later taught at the same place. Her influence on new generations of jazz musicians is without a doubt enormous. With high artistic quality and integrity, Solveig Slettahjell has built up a large and dedicated audience, and has undoubtedly been a door opener into the world of jazz for many. It is a great pleasure to present Norwegian jazz's highest award, the Buddy Award, for 2020 to Solveig Slettahjell."
Solveig Slettahejll's recent album "Come in from the Rain" has been released this year on ACT.
