"The folk musician of the year 2018 has a deeper understanding of tradition than most, and at the same time she is boundless in her exploring of the hardanger fiddle. She composes new music in a wide range, and brings out old and sometimes forgotten music that she thinks people today should be offered to hear. She shows us history by exploring the history of the hardanger fiddle and the older relatives of the instrument, and she shows the contemporary through the use of the rich sound register of the hardanger fiddle in new ways.
Since her solo debut album in 2006 she has contributed to twenty recordings. In 2018 she has released five albums with as many groups - Slagr, Tokso, Parallax, Sogesong and Aurora Borealis - with music ranging from German middle age music and Norwegian ballads to chamber music and free improvisation. In addition, she has contributed to stage works in Norway and Denmark.
Her album with traditional tunes, Strimur, won in 2017 the Folkelarm awards for solo album and the Norwegian Grammy in the traditional music category. Currently she is writing music to be performed by Telemark Chamber Orchestra and Slagr in Autumn 2019 at Riksscenen in Oslo.
As a writer, she is a columnist in Klassekampen. In a refined language, she is presenting and explaining traditional music, musical and cultural political issues to a wide audience. As editor of the journal Årbok for Norwegian folk music, she has been a central force and important voice in the organizational life regarding Norwegian traditional music.
A united jury has approved that the price Folk Musician of the year is awarded Anne Hytta from Sauland in Telemark."
Jury for the Prize 2018 is:
Per Anders Buen Garnås, Rikke van Ommeren, Kirsten Bråten Berg, Åsmund Reistad and Pål Bratås
https://folkorg.no/arets-folkemusiker-2018-er-anne-hytta/