Elise Wessel Hildrum
Elise Wessel Hildrum is one of the few Norwegian folk music flute players. She grew up playing classical music, but at the age of 20 she "discovered" folk music and started her folk music studies in Rauland. As a recorder player it was natural for her to learn the "sea-flute" tradition from Numedal, and this repertoire has been at the core of her playing ever since.
While studying in Rauland she also started playing the fiddle. In the beginning it was just for fun and to play in social settings and sessions, but since 2014 she has been an active fiddler with the pan-Scandinavian trio Fru Skagerrak, touring all over the world.
After two years studying in Rauland, Elise began her studies at the Norwegian Academy of Muisc in Oslo, as the only flute player to do a performance degree in Folk Music. She has been an exchange student at both the Malmö Academy of Music (SE) and at Newcastle Univerity (UK) and is twice winner of the flute category at "Landskappleiken", the Norwegian national competitions in folk music.