Guitarist, singer, composer & music journalist
“My life is all about the told story and the music, the traditional and even more the new original music, and it is in the conversation with the audience that I find the strength and power of the music. No matter where in the world I perform, I meet an audience that know and recognize the sorrows, joys and fights of life, that are the basic of the music we play and the songs we sing. It is a fantastic feeling, and it makes pefect sense, when you play your own compositions in Denmark, Japan or Bulgaria, and experience that your audience embrace the music, returning waves of energy!”
Guitarist, singer and composer Morten Alfred Høirup lives in an apartment near one of Copenhagen’s beautiful old parks.
Morten Alfred is well known and respected on the Danish and international roots and folk music scene, as a innovative, dynamic and deeply original guitar player, singer and composer. The American website, Rambles.net, states:
”Morten Alfred Hoirup has been playing guitar for over 20 years and is a master of his instrument. His playing is expressive, powerful, yet graceful. He is also a great storyteller.”
Through the years, Morten Alfred has been recording a number of albums with Danish and international bands and artists, and he has received no less than ten Danish Music Awards (Danish “Grammy”). Amongst them is “Folk Album of the Year” (2004), “Folk Composer of the Year” (2004), “Award of Honor” (2012), and “Traditional Act of the Year”, in 2016.
He was given the German “Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik” in 2008, “Tingluti’s Folkemusikpris” in 2012, and Danish Musicians Union’s award “Årets Ildsjæl” (Fiery Soul of the Year) in 2014. In 2015 he received Musik over Præstø Fjord Festival’s “Spillemandsprisen” (The Folk Musicians Award), for his “great efforts to create awareness of the Danish folk music – also outside the country”.
Further more Morten Alfred has been receiving quite a number of grants from a large handful of Danish musician and composers organizations, and from the Danish Arts Foundation.
Morten Alfred grew up in a musical family. His father, Fin Alfred Larsen, is a musician, singer and tradition carrier, and all-ready as a teenager, Morten began playing in Fin Alfred’s popular wedding band.
During the following years Morten Alfred performed around the world with amongst others the Danish-Finnish-American trio, The American Café Orchestra (ACO), the Danish fiddle and guitar duo, Haugaard & Høirup (1998 – 2008), the Danish folk/world music band Himmerland (2010 – 2015), and the trio Gangspil (2012 – 2017).
Right now he is active playing his own compositions and songs with his band Morten Alfred & Vingården (The Vineyard), as well as in the vocal and guitar duo Mia Guldhammer & Morten Alfred Høirup, who did release their debut album Tral, Tråd & Traditioner in 2021.
Morten Alfred published Ingela’s Waltz – 25 New Danish Folk Melodies in 2022 – a music book containing a collection of his own music, including guitar chords and stories about a long life on the road.
During the years Morten Alfred has written new music for his bands, but he also composed quite a lot of music for a large number of TV documentaries shown on channels all over the world, including Animal Planet, Discovery, ARD, DR, YLE, NRK, SV2, TV2. In 2004 he was awarded a Danish Music Award, as “Danish Folk Composer of the Year”.
Morten Alfred has also made him self a career as a freelance music journalist specialized in Danish and international roots and folk music.
For more than 20 years he worked for The Danish Broadcasting Association (DR) and Den 2. Radio (D2R), and as a writer for roots and folk music magazines and web portals in Denmark and internationally. Right now he is chief editor, producer and presenter on the small non-comercial and award winning digital media platform, Radiofolk.dk. RadioFolk.dk is run by Mediehaven, an association in which Morten Alfred is serving as chairman.
From 2009 to 2014 Morten Alfred was the project manager of the Danish Roots – Growing in the World export project, for whom he has produced a number of compilations with Danish roots- and folk music.
He was a member of the board of Autor – Danish Composers and Song Writers (former DJBFA) from 2010 to 2018, serving as vice chairman for the organisation from 2016 to 2018, as well as a member of the board of KODA (Composers of Denmark) from April 2016 to April 2017.
”Speaking of song, I haven’t mentioned Høirup’s singing. He only sang one song at this matinee concert, but the audience – packed in like sardines – loved it. A bit husky, a bit rough, and totally tender. We want more!” – Folk it!, Radio Concertzender NL
Morten Alfred Høirup will be touring in Denmark in 2022 and 2023.