The artist's official bio:
”In the right hands the lowly mouth-organ can be an instrument of great beauty and sophistication. Sigmund Groven, like Tommy Reilly and Larry Adler before him, makes full use of the wide range and tonal expressions that the harmonica is capable of. His musicianship is superb, and he now unquestionably reigns supreme as one of the finest exponents of the harmonica in the world.” (Sir George Martin, producer of The Beatles)

For more than three decades Sigmund Groven has had an international career as soloist, composer and recording artist. He was born in Heddal, Telemark, Norway, into a musical family; his uncle, Eivind Groven, was a composer and musicologist. Sigmund’s interest in the harmonica was aroused at the age of nine upon hearing a record of the legendary harmonica pioneer, the late Tommy Reilly, who became his source of inspiration as a musician, his mentor, and close associate. They appeared together in concert and on radio and TV in Europe and North America, and in 1976 they recorded a duo album of original works written for them by such composers as Robert Farnon, Gordon Jacob, James Moody, and Vilem Tausky.

Sigmund plays a custom-made silver concert harmonica and his repertoire ranges from popular and folk music to his own compositions, from Bach to contemporary music. The latest additions to his discography of more than 20 albums are two recordings with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra; an album featuring works for harmonica and orchestra by Sir George Martin, as well as his arrangements of Lennon / McCartney songs and other shorter pieces, to be followed by a CD of serious original works by Milhaud, Villa-Lobos and Scandinavian contemporary composers in 2005.

Sigmund’s career in Europe has included performances with such orchestras as the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Rotterdam Philharmonic, the radio symphony orchestras of Berlin, Munich, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Hilversum, and BBC London, concerts for EXPO Sevilla, UNESCO Paris, ”Posidonia” in Athens, the Edvard Grieg Sesquicentennial Celebrations, as well as appearances at the Dartington Summer Music, the Bergen International Festival and other prestigious festivals. In 2002 he became the first harmonica player to appear as soloist with the the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg, giving the world premiere of Siegfried Steinkogler’s Harmonica Concerto. On many occasions he has given Royal Command Performances for the Kings and Queens of Norway and Sweden, and he is regularly featured as star performer on cruise ships around the world.

In 1990 Sigmund made musical history, becoming one of the few harmonica players ever to be featured at Carnegie Hall with a classical recital of his own. This marked the turning point in his American career, and was followed by concerts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC as well as major concert halls, orchestras and festivals across Canada and the US (Toronto, Guelph, Québèc, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Anchorage, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Houston, and Dallas, where he was made honorary citizen of Texas). His career in Asia includes concerts and TV appearances in Japan in 1995 and 1999 (including Casals Hall, Tokyo and Kyoto Concert Hall), Hong Kong 1998 (City Hall Concert Hall) and Seoul, Korea 2001, where his albums entered the pop charts. In August 2004 he returned to Hong Kong for a concert with the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra and master-classes at the Asia-Pacific Harmonica Festival.

Composers who have dedicated works to Sigmund Groven include Oddvar S. Kvam, Johan Kvandal, James Moody, Terje Rypdal, Øistein Sommerfeldt, Siegfried Steinkogler, John Surman, Lars Tilling, and Fried Walter. As a composer in his own right received a commission for the Sesquicentennial of Norwegian emigration to America (”Blow, Silver Wind” with words by Erik Bye), and a commission from the Norsemen’s Federation to commemmorate Leiv Eiriksson’s discovery of America (”Vinland Suite”). Both works have been performed widely, incl. Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, and Carnegie Hall.

Sigmund Groven output totals more than 300 works, including music for film, radio, and TV, and a number of songs and instrumental works. Twice he received the award ”Composition of the Year” from the Norwegian Association of Composers of which he was also appointed Honorary Member. In 1997 he was elected President of TONO, the Norwegian Performing Rights Society, and in 2004 he was presented with an award from the City of Oslo.