Mentors & Ensemble

Piyawat Louilarpprasert

Piyawat Louilarpprasert is a Thai composer, multimedia performer, and curator. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University and a Master of Music from the Royal College of Music, London.
Louilarpprasert’s work explores the intersection of sonic and visual arts, integrating multimedia and music, deconstructing instrumental mechanisms and physicality as methods of sound production, and incorporating elements of Thai traditional music into contemporary compositions.

Louilarpprasert’s artistic practice centers on the concept of “extension” as it manifests through musical instruments, objects, the human body, and labour. He approaches performance as an expanded field where sound, gesture, material, and environment interact, blurring boundaries between the musical and the non-musical. He is interested in creating experiences that allow multiple layers of engagement—where audiences can think deeply, but also feel, question, and enjoy the immediacy of the moment.

Originally from Bangkok, where he is currently based, Louilarpprasert has spent the past 12 years working internationally across Asia, Europe, and the United States. His work has been performed and developed with leading ensembles and orchestras such as Tacet(i), Arditti Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, Berlin Philharmonic Horn Section, and American Composers Orchestra. He has received numerous international commissions and awards, including the Fromm Foundation (Harvard, USA), Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung (Germany), British Council (UK), and Musica Nova—Helsinki Philharmonic (Finland). In 2026, he is commissioned by the Münchener Biennale for a new stage work and a song cycle with Münchener Kammerorchester.

Besides his core practice as a composer and performer, Louilarpprasert is the founder of Tacet(i) Ensemble and the Artistic Director of the IntAct Festival, which has developed into one of the most vital platforms for experimental and interdisciplinary performance in Asia. More recently, he has taken on the role of Dean of the College of Music at Mahidol University.

You can read more about Piyawat Louilarpprasert and listen to his works on his website: https://www.piyawatmusic.com/compositions/

Viola Yip

Viola Yip is a Berlin-based composer-performer, sound artist, and instrument builder from Hong Kong. In her practice, she develops unorthodox, self-built instruments, compositions, and performances that explore how materials, media, space, human bodies, and machines interact in complex and dynamic ways through sound.

Her instruments and performances have been presented and supported by institutions and venues such as Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Harvard University, Cycling ‘74 Expo, Hong Kong Arts Center, Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln, Akademie der Künste Berlin, Maerzmusik festival, Hochschule Luzern, Gare du Nord Basel , KTH Royal Institute of Technology Sweden, Elektronmusikstudion EMS Stockholm, NOTAM Oslo, Oxford University, University of Huddersfield, Sonorities Festival at Queens University Belfast, NEXT festival Bratislava, Arter Museum Istanbul, Serralves Museum of Contemporary Arts Porto and Pinakothek der Moderne München.

You can read more about Viola Yip on her website: https://www.violayip.com/portfolio

Sigurd Fischer Olsen

Sigurd Fischer Olsen is a composer, violist, and music educator based in Bergen. As a composer, he works with a listening and attentive approach, exploring the spaces between pronounced musical statements, where the music often revolves around fragile textures of instrumental sound. He has written numerous works for solo performers and small ensembles, often developed through close collaboration over time, while his catalogue also includes pieces for larger ensembles and orchestra. His music has been performed by ensembles including KORK, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Sinfonietta, BIT20 Ensemble, ICE Ensemble, Ensemble Risognanze, and Quatuor Bozzini.

Alongside his compositional work, Sigurd is also active in the company Ursus Produksjoner, which creates experimental opera. Here, form and expression exist at the intersection of contemporary music, performance, and sound installation, using different methods than in his own works. In these productions, musicians often take on ambiguous roles—not only as performers, but also as stage workers, actors, and physical presences. Sound is spatialised through handmade sound objects that also function as scenography. The company approaches its operatic work through a questioning and curious perspective, where observing and examining phenomena is more important than explaining or resolving them.

His works have been nominated for several awards, including the International Rostrum of Composers, the Edvard Prize, and the Norwegian Society of Composers’ Award for Work of the Year. Sigurd holds a Master’s degree in composition from the Grieg Academy and the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, where he studied with Morten Eide Pedersen and Mathias Spahlinger. He has also previously taught composition and theoretical subjects at the Grieg Academy for several years.

You can read more about Sigurd Fischer Olsen and Ursus Productions here: https://www.ursusproduksjoner.no.

Sori Trio

A central part of the Borealis Ung Komponist mentor programme is to support and highlight emerging ensembles in Bergen and contribute to better conditions for the performance of new music in the city. While Bergen has a strong community of skilled musicians, there are still relatively few ensembles working consistently with contemporary and experimental music. BUK therefore aims to foster long-term collaborations where new works can be developed in close dialogue with performers.
For this edition of Borealis Ung Komponist, we collaborate with Sori Trio.

Sori Trio is an ensemble consisting of musicians SooHyun April Jang (violin), Hertha Dahlgren (clarinet), and Marie Heddan Kortner (piano). The three musicians met as students in Bergen, and after several shared projects, Sori Trio was established in 2022. The ensemble brings together members from Norway, Sweden, and South Korea, and reflects a diverse musical background: April is trained in jazz, while Hertha and Marie are trained in classical music.

“Sori” means “sound” in Korean, and the trio uses this as a guiding idea for their collaboration—focusing on how individual voices can merge into a unified sonic identity. Alongside performing existing repertoire, they are dedicated to working with new music and actively collaborating with emerging composers to develop new works.