"Atlantis, Utopia and Ulvedrømmer" is a project where I play commissioned works for solo cello and my own voice, by composers Maja Ratkje, Stine Sørlie, Eirik Hegdal, Lene Grenager and Ellen Lindquist. These works explore speech and the singing voice as an extension of the instrument's sound world and expression. The cello is the instrument that may be closest to the voice, and some works have been composed using this, but the fact that it is the cellist's own voice used for coloring is unusual and creates an unexpected closeness in the expression. The goal is not to make the song appear as a beautiful song, but it creates its own sound in interaction with the cello and can be both singing, speaking, whistling and sounds. The project was started in connection with the Norwegian composer's association's 100th anniversary, and is further developed with new commissioning works, a CD recording and launch tour in the fall of 2020.

Marianne Baudouin Lie is a cellist, chamber musician, researcher, and lecturer at NTNU Institute of Music, where she teaches entrepreneurship for musicians and chamber music at the Young Musicians talent program. She was awarded a three year State artists scholarship from 2020. Marianne finished her PhD in November 2018 with the project Making Sense, the performer´s perspective: www.makingsense.no. She is active in the Alpaca Ensemble, Trondheim Sinfonietta and Trondheim Soloists, and is a driving force in contemporary music and likes to work across genres. www.cello.no