JULIANA VENTER

Born 08.10.1970 in Pretoria in South Africa. Lives and works in and internationally. Born and raised in an Afrikaans family in South Africa and Namibia, where she studied opera and piano.

From 2000 she lived and worked in London, Scotland, Munich and Berlin. In 2016, she moved to .

Speaks and writes fluently: Afrikaans, English and German. Understands, studies and performs both as an actor and singer in Norwegian.

Introduction: Juliana Venter is a different artist in that she is primarily a singer who operates in notated and free-improvised music, classical and extended vocal techniques, contemporary music, noise, jazz, baroque music, folk music expressions from Norway, Southern Africa, West Africa , Central Asia, Arabic music, Japanese and Chinese traditional musical expressions as well as rock and pop. She has a very distinctive expression. She is also an actress who operates in both film and theatre. She is a composer for large and original ensembles, and at the same time she makes music for just her own voice or the various regular collaborations she has with various musicians, from a traditional singer / songwriter tradition to modernist and conceptual contemporary music. In addition, she has done countless cross-genre performance concerts and music / theatre performances. ( NB not to be confused with musicals)

Operationally trained from 1985-98. She is known for her heartfelt voice, wide palette and her groundbreaking and at times extreme expression. She has been called by the press, “the queen of South African avant-garde“ She was the frontrunner in the music and performance band The Mud Ensemble from Johannesburg, which achieved cult status as pioneers in avant-garde music theatre in South Africa in the 1990s. The Mud Ensemble was also known for its work against apartheid. In 2011, she released an album documenting The Mud Ensemble's material from 1993 to 1997.

She has contributed to several international recordings, and released the solo album Spooky attraction from a distance in 2011, based on Einstein's theory of "Spooky action at a distance" (quantum entanglement) by the music press mentioned in the same breath as Anthony Hegarty and Joanna Newsom, as an important contribution to the avant-folk style.

In 2018, she released the noise album W / V Concave, together with James Wellburn, an album that has received many praises and good reviews in the international music press.

Of those she has collaborated with who are known in Norway and internationally can be mentioned e.g. Josef Suchy, Carlo Mombeli, Poing, Oslo Sinfonietta, Maja SK Ratkje, Frøde Haltli, Håkon Thelin, , Kouame Sereba, Becaye Aw, KORK, Frikar, Munor Ensemble, Eivind Lønning, Harald Hårfagres Kammerorkester, Eirik Raude and ,Thomas Mahmoud, Håkon Mjåset Johansen, James Welburn, Bjarne Kvinnsland, Cara Stacey,ShArt ensemble, Mouvoir tanz Kompanie ,Jo Strømgren and Marius Kolbenstvedt, Det Utvalgte, Øyvind Berg, Jerry Mofokeng, Aletta Bezuidenhout, Guy De Lancy, Gavin Hood, Etienne Kallos ext.

Awards / nominations 2018; The Harvesters a South African feature film was selected for the Cannes International film festival competing in the Un Certain Regard section. She was nominated Best Supporting Actress at the Silver screen film festival in South Africa. 2019;, Received the Hedda Award (Norways prestigious theatre awards) for Special artistic effort with The chosen ones for the performance The Ship vol 5.

Scholarships / residences 2020 Recipient of the Rauschenberg Foundation's travel grant and scholarship stay for 5 weeks on Captiva Island in Florida to develop their own projects. 2019 Travel support from Music Norway for W / V album tour. 2018 FFUK travel support for preliminary project and development of «Bird Project» / Bokmakierie with Cara Stacey in Swaziland and Johannesburg. 2017 received support for a record with Nystrøm / Venter from FFUK 2013 Support from the National Arts Council of South Africa for preliminary project for the opera Soul of the White Ant in Namibia. 1998 Support from the National Arts Council of South Africa for a project with The Mud Ensemble.

Excerpt actor performances in recent years : • She stars in a new international feature film from South Africa, The Harvesters, about a Boer family at the end of apartheid. This was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, in the Un Certain Regard category, and has won awards at the Sundance Festival, and was nominated for "best supporting actress" at the Silver Screen Festival in South Africa. Industry magazine Variety called her performance "superb". • Venter has studied the Meisner technique with Mike Bernardin from the Actor's Space in Berlin, which she also now teaches. She is a student of the renowned acting coach Susan Batson (permanent coach for Nicole Kidman and Juliette Binoche, among others) • She has played Gonorill in King Lear, and played the part of Yvette Pottier in Brecht's Mother Courage which toured in South Africa. • In 2018 and 2019, she had leading roles as an actor and singer and co-composer in 4 productions by the internationally renowned Norwegian theater group De Utvalgte. The last of the productions was performed as part of the Ultima Festival, and together with the rest of the company she received the Hedda Prize for special artistic effort.

She had a leading role in the music theatre performance Congress of Dreams as an actress and singer, and highlighted by Ida Lou Larsen in the review of the performance, Directed by Susanne Øglænd with music by Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. Black Box in Oslo. Together with Håkon Thelin, Trond Høvik, Per Oddvar Johansen, Anne Kokkin and others.

Education: - When she was 9 years old, she won national talent competitions (called Eisteddfod) in the class Best Singer. - As a 13-year-old, she was selected as the one who represented her junior high school as a singing soloist in Namibia's national revue group. They toured along the Caprivi Strip during the Angolan War, traveling in convoys through war zones filled with landmines to perform and sing for the soldiers stationed at the border. - 14 years old, she was admitted to Johannesburg Music, Ballet and Art School. There she studied under the highly respected and internationally renowned bass baritone Dawie Couzyn, who has performed at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Vienna State Opera and the Covent Garden. He remained her teacher for 13 years and helped her achieve an international level in classical vocal use, studies in classical music and lead singing. At the age of 17, she became the youngest member of South Africa's opera choir, and the same year she debuted as an actress and singer with the award-winning theater director Ilse van Hemert together with some of South Africa's leading actors. - Furthermore, she continued to tour around schools in South Africa through the organization PACT (Performing Arts Council of Transvaal). - She studied acting, theater and film privately, with Aletta Bezuidenhout, Jaquie Singer and Clare Stopford and eventually got many roles in TV, film and on stage.

Masterclasses as vocalist / composer: 2019 Studies in harmonic singing with David Hykes. at his institute in Pommerau. 2018 Improvisation with Professor George Lewis (hand-picked for Ultima's workshop) 2015 With vocalist and improviser Phil Minton in London. 2020 Studying singing with Håkan Hagegard and Sven Bjørkoy in Norway and Sweden.

Masterclasses in acting (theater and film): 2012- Ongoing Annual Method Acting Studies with Star Instructor / Coach Susan Batson (Juliette Binoche, Nicole Kidman) 2011-2013 studies in Meisner technique at The Actor's Space in Berlin International 2012. Studies in Mikhail Checkov's technique.

• Activity 2020 composition, performance and acting. 1. Dans for voksne; premiere of composition for voice, tree trunk and motorcycle. 2. Morning concert Sagene church: The wolf hour by Juliana Venter and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. 3. Corona sessions with Jo Strømgren company as singer and actress in a free improvised performance with ballet dancer Silas Henriksen. 4. The Drop Festival at renowned jazz venue Cosmopolite (live stream) fund raiser for refugees.Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and Mats Eilertsen. 5. Nakba 72 -performance composition and vocals with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. For the Palestinian cause in Gaza. 6. Pre-project writing and creating (Floating mirror) with Marius Kolbensvedt and Julian Skar and Torbjørn Martin Davidson . 7. Founding of Skeleton coast a music theatre company with M. Kolbenstvedt, R-E Nystrøm and F Haverøy. 8. Minefield; premiere of a new music theatre work at Kunstnernes hus in December 2020 . Direction and text M.Kolbenstvedt.Composer. Bjørn Skjelbred. 9. Duo concert with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm at Exhibition opening landscape painting Jon Løvøen on Sandøya island. - Blowout 10 year festival celebration of the prestigious free improv series with my new trio Karawane with Øyvind Skarbø and Vilia Ellefsen-Larson from DNA. (18-22 August) Nasjonal jazz scene. 10. Duo concert Nystrøm / Venter asked to create a remix of one of Scandinavias most important female composers works Åse Hedstrøm. 11. Oslo world music festival concert with world renowned free improv drummer Paal Nilssen- Love. 12. Commissioned work for Oslo literature festival Barne festivalen and African resistance poetry.

Activity 2019 Own projects under development. As a composer and singer: Research / recording work and composition for «Bird Song project» / Bokmakierie in Swaziland using traditional instruments and musicians from Swaziland and the Norwegian super trio Poing. Based on bird song from South Africa and Norway.

Projects as a singer, actress and composer: -Main role as actress and singer in Skipet vol. 6 with De Utvalgte in Hofteatret in Copenhagen. -Fra Hæl Til Himmel (Human cockroaches), a music theater production based on a text by and with Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen, music composed by Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, Juliana Venter, Eirik Raude;also starring: Marius Kolbenstvedt, Janne Eraker and Håkon Sigernes. -Draumefangeren, produced by Frikar dansekompani v /pani v / Halgrim Hansegård, with Bjarne Kvinnsland, Eirik Raude and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. Also a physical and choreographed performer. - Touring the record release of W / V in Lillehammer, in Oslo, Berlin and Prague. - Work with teenagers and young adults with mental challenge under the name Supergruppo: A project where we created music together with Supergruppo at ; together with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and Håkon Mjåset Johansen. - Collaboration, and concerts with DNA in Norway at Hærverk and Mir. - Performed at Le guess who festival in the Netherlands (under the auspices of Dance for Adults). Oslo-based music group where the members have down syndrome. Led by Harald Fetveit and Bjarne Larsen.

- Soloist for the silent film L ‘Inferno by Dante Alighieri composed by Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. Especialy written for Juliana Venter with Oslo Sinfonietta and Poing. The opening of the silent film festival at the Cinematheque in Oslo. - Soloist in the music for the silent film L ‘Inferno di Dante in Rolf-Erik Nystrøm's music during Kammerfest in Østfold. - Duo concert with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm during Kammerfest in Østfold in Fredrikstad. - Free improvised / noise music trio concert with Juliana and the Venters at Hausmania (with Morten Minothi- Kristiansen and Kenneth Kornstad) -Solo concert / performance under the title Mr Richman at Hausmania. - Christmas with Poing on the Victoria National Jazz Stage.

2018

Actress singer and composer: Commissioned work - Children's Bonfire; a musical theatre performance for children and young people, which addresses the climate problems the world is facing, together with Marius Kolbenstvedt and Nikolai Lange-Nilssen, commissioned by the Church of Norway. a. Tromsø Church Music Festival in the Arctic Cathedral. b. Sandefjord (The Cultural Schoolbag) c .Nesodden church d. The climate festival at Sentralen in Oslo.

- Co wrote and performed the soundtrack to the short film Alien Resident by Mira Matthew. - Released the album W / V on the company Silken Tofu together with James Wellburn.

As an actor, singer and co-composer: Det Utvalgte - Ship 3; at Black Box theatre in Oslo. - Ship 4; at the Terschelling theatre festival in the Netherlands - Ship 5; at the Ultima Festival (Hedda Prize Winner.

As a free improviser and singer / vocalist: -Frikar dance company as improvising physical performer and singer in performance. -Concert with Poing(Norways most well respected contemporary classical ensemble.) as part of the free improvisation concert series Blow Out. -Free Resonance In . Nystrøm / Venter duo. -Diversity workshop together with composer and improvisation legend Georg Lewis as part of the Ultima Festival. -The silent film L ‘Inferno di Dante as singer with Munor- (the district musicians in the northern Rogaland ensemble) and Harald Hårfagre's Chamber Orchestra at the film festival in Haugesund. Composer Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. -Tour in China: Shanghai, Zhujiajiao and Guangzhou with Kouame Sereba, Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and the Chinese pipe master Fang Jinlong.

Venter / Nystrøm duo: - Hardanger Music Festival. Commissioned work for the primary school. Participated in several concerts. - Lacrimae Rerum: Commissioned concert for Josefine folk stage Duo concert with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. - Concerts in Copenhagen with Nystrøm / Venter duo at Frederiksberg Country Club and Frederiksberg Library.

Solo / duo and group concerts - Festival Møtforestellinger-Performances; Concert with Geko Fattal and solo performance with text by South African resistance poet Wopko Jensma; for the Palestinian cause. -Poing Christmas Concert. Soloist

As an actress. Film premiere The Harvesters at the Cannes Film Festival.

2017: As a singer, actor and composer: Commissioned work . Barnas Bål: Production, composition and premiere in Tøyen church in Oslo, concerts at Showbox and in Tromsø. .Welburn / Venter album recorded (Singer and co-composer) . Stamsund Theater Festival. Concert with Øyvind Berg and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. Performance where music and poetry are integrated. Commissioned work. . Rolf Jacobsen dagene / Nordic Poetry Festival with Øyvind Berg and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. .The literature symposium in Odda with Øyvind Berg and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. . The vocal voice in Concept of Sorrows & Dangers by Lars Petter Hagen. the closing concert of the Ultima Festival at Sentralen with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and conductor Ingar Bergby. . Free improv concerts at BLÅ and Ila Fysikalske with Nystrøm and Joakim Heibø (drums) . Vocal work on an installation in Riga by James Webb. . Concert with the trio Poing and their Mob Christmas on the National Jazz Stage.

Venter / Nystrøm duo: .The concert Human" in Cape Town. Blah blah bar. . Harvestworks in New York. .Blue. premiere of Dalia Raudonikyte-With. . Stamsund int. theatre festival. With the duos own compositions. Actress 1. Recorded the French-Polish-South African feature film The Harvesters in Kwazulu Natal in South Africa 2. The ship vol 3 with Det Utvalgte at the Black Box theatre.

As a singer / composer. Free improv and performance art. -Participated with percussionist Daniel Paulsen on Rolf-Erik Nystrøm's commissioned work for the opening of the at the Munch Museum based on the pictures of the artists. -Where commissioned and completed several concert assignments after the Munch Museum to create new smaller performances for invited guests with music specially adapted for the pictures. -A performance dedicated to Edvard Munch with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. The opening of the Munch Museum's summer program at Ekely. -Spacemouldmachine: A performance inspired by John Cage’s Water Walk: with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. (Cape Town) - Back to the Future: w / Cara Stacey (Cape Town) a futuristic music and food performance. - The MultiNo festival with Alessandro Boratti, Italian composer and pianist. - Concert in Rovereto Italy with Alessandro Boratti. Music by John Cage, Anton Webern, Giacinto Scelsi + improvisations and music by Venter and Boratti. - Performance / concert: Home 1: a place-specific performance with the Brazilian performance artist Fernanda Branco and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. - Shooting stars and hearts: with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and Brydon Bolton in Cape Town. - Concert during Gambling Woman in Copenhagen. Works for motorcycle, voice, lapsteel and percussion. With Mette Zoe Matthiesen and Jim Neversink. Music by Arnold Schoenberg, Scelsi, Hank Williams, Merula, Nico and own compositions. - Concerts with Moe, Nystrøm, Li TiQiao and Yu Miao in Beijing. - Concert with Per Oddvar Johansen on the National Jazz Stage. - Øykjelykkejesetra: Vinstra. Concert with Mats Eilertsen and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. - Concert with Sturm und Drang, Roar Engelberg and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm in Ila church in Oslo. - Performance with Poing on the Victoria national jazz scene.

As a singer and co-composer. Work with poetry and literature. Commissioned work for the Oslo International Poetry Festival a. Tesla Kannery: with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. b. Performance / concert with Øyvind Berg's poetry, together with Nystrøm and Øyvind Berg c. Music for poems by and with Kai Miller.

Solo concerts. 1 Southern comfort in Oslo for vocals and Harley Davidson motorcycle. Outside Deichman Library at Schous plass 2. Solo concert during the concert series Bristepunktet in Oslo.

As an actress. In Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht in the role of Yvette Pottier: Word Festival In Cape Town in addition to a longer tour with the performance in South Africa

Record releases: -Historical documentation of the works of the industrial music pioneers Live Jimi Presley (contributes on the record) -Composer of the music for the poem "This journey" A music compilation of South African poet Ingrid Jonker's work.

2015 AS A PRODUCER, COMPOSER AND SINGER. Vomo no 1 for vocals, noise, guitar and 5 motorcycles. Vomo no 2 for vocals, string quartet, African traditional bows, drums and 7 motorcycles (in South Africa), of which she has performed versions in several countries. - TV performance with music for a motorcycle, voice and violin. https://youtu.be/GDzvqOH0qa4 - Phantom globe; Wordfestival composer. selection Stellenbosch (with Gorm Hjelford, Jonno Seetman, Brydon Bolton, Ronan Skillen.) - International solo tour as a vocalist and composer. (Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo and London),with guest appearances by Phil Winter from Wrangler, Jim Neversink, Viviana Vega and Morten- Minothi Kristiansen. - NK project Berlin with Umit Urgen as soloist and composer. - Solo Il Sol Tace, an art and music work for orchestra and voice. By and with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm and a hand-picked ensemble of leading improvisers. (Norway.) - As vocalist in a sound installation with sound artist James Webb (South Africa.) - Radio presenter on Bush Radio. (Africa's first pirate radio station) - Guest appearance at the concert that marked the release of the album with the Brazilian Habeca legend Nelson da Rabeca, w / Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, Celio de Carvalho, Erlend Viken (Norway) - Guest vocalist with Poing during Pøbeljul. Victoria National Jazz Scene - China / Beijing: w / Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, Miao Yu and Li Tieqiao - Guest vocalist with the award-winning South African group Benguela.

Actress - Leading role in the music- theatre performance Congress of Dreams as an actor and singer. Directed by Susanne Øglænd with music by Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. Black Box in Oslo. Together with Håkon Thelin, Trond Høvik, Per Oddvar Johansen, Anne Kokkinn and others. - Mother Courage (Bertolt Brecht) Directed by Jerry Mofokeng (South Africa) as singer and actor, as part of Die Woordfees.

Short press text from 2018. Albums and concerts. Vedl. report from the newspaper Nordlys, from her performance of the musical theater performance Barnas Bål in Ishavskatedralen in Tromsø in November 2018. Written by Emi Kjeldsberg 4 / 11-18: Despite the many avant-garde elements, nothing in Barnas Bål is more incomparable than Juliana Venter. She both plays, sings, and has composed the music. Waiting shows a tremendous breadth of techniques ranging from Tibetan throat singing and believable bird chirping to traditional click singing from the Xhosa people. Throughout the play, she uses cinematic singing techniques that are rarely heard outside of film music, and even then you only hear them in experimental soundtracks such as I The Revenant and Arrival. At one point in the action, she resorts to screamo inspired by the hardest branch of black metal ...., and is one of several good examples of how Barnas Bål always manages to keep these unusual effects relevant to the story and the message they are trying to convey.