Trine Opsahl er en dansk komponist, harpenist og harpeterapeut.
Trine har udgivet tre solo-CDer og to harpe/ cello duo-CDer med sin datter Josefine Opsahl. CDerne distribueres i Europa, USA og Asien og er tilgængelige som fysiske CDer via distributører og som downloads og streaming.
Trines musik er blevet tildelt en ROUNDGLASS MUSIC AWARD FOR A BETTER WORLD 2018 og er blevet nomineret til en række Zone Music Reporter-priser.
Trine er en pioner indenfor harpeterapi i Danmark og arbejder som en harpeterapeut på to hospicer, der spiller for døende og deres pårørende. Hun er Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner (CTHP), uddannet og certificeret igennem International Harp Therapy Program.
Trine giver koncerter og spiller til begivenheder som bryllupper, begravelser, fester og receptioner.
Biografi skrevet af Bill Binkelmann, Wind and Wire:
Few artists better exemplify music as a force for healing than does Celtic harpist Trine Opsahl. Whether performing on stage or within the Danish health care system, this talented and committed artist embraces the special musical and tonal qualities of her instrument. As she states “While playing the Celtic harp, I travel through a place of immense beauty and silence. My music is an invitation to experience a blissful journey through eternity.”
Born in 1965 in Norway, her family moved to Denmark when Trine was six. Early on, she discovered her personal goal. “I always wanted to make a difference…to do something valuable to help this world becoming a better place. I wanted to play music or become a doctor. What I do today seems to be a perfect combination of
these ambitions: Using music to bring comfort, peace and relaxation to people in physical and emotional pain.”
Her first musical instruments were the flute (age 6) followed by the accordion (age 8) the latter with which she won a number of national and international prizes. By 11, she knew music was vitally important to her, but her first career ended up being in law as an attorney for the Danish justice department. While working as a lawyer, she gave birth to her two children: Josefine and Tobias. A series of life-changing events led her to discover the music thanatologist (a person who studies the scientific aspects of death) Therese Schroeder-Sheker. Schroeder-Sheker studied the effects of playing music at end of life vigils at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Montana. The use of music as a force for healing and bringing peace and serenity to those in need resonated with Trine who decided it was time for a change. Leaving her law career, she fulfilled her soul’s ambition to become a full-time musician on the Celtic harp. Almost immediately, she began playing her own compositions and, at that point, she realized she had, indeed, come home to her life’s true purpose.
Whether she is performing at concerts, festivals, and social gatherings, or using her harp playing as part of palliative care, Trine works consciously with the art of breathing while creating her sound, reflecting the organic and peaceful intonation of her self-composed music. The Celtic harp is an instrument ideally suited to healing, which, regardless of the setting, Trine seeks to infuse in her compositions and playing. “The harp, with its soothing timbre and spiritual associations, has been revered as a healing instrument by many cultures for thousands of years. The harp differs from many other instruments and the human voice by its vibrational patterns. When you listen to a harp on which a string is being plucked, you will immediately experience a quality of sound that is more than just a single note. Corresponding overtones and undertones multiply the vibrations of each plucked string. This rich mix of harmonic sound bathes the body, mind and spirit of the listener with all the vibrational energy carried by the sound.”
Trine, who composes all the music she performs and records, has released three solo albums: The Journey and the Dream (2005), Somewhere In A Hidden Memory (2012), and Add Colours To My Sunset Sky (2017), as well as two collaborations with daughter and cellist Josefine: Leaving My Silent Empty House (2008) and Unbroken Dreams (2012). Her albums have received worldwide acclaim including nominations in numerous categories at the annual Zone Music Reporter music awards. In 2018, she and Josefine won the RoundGlass Award for Best Ambient/New Age song for “Drifting on Silky Clouds” from Unbroken Dreams.
Now residing in Denmark with her husband Michael, Trine looks back at her music career and displays a unique and selfless view of what success means to her. “Success is to me a feeling inside. It is not about money or any outer circumstance. It is about feeling fulfilled. Often I have this soft feeling of being embraced by something bigger when I play my harp at the bedside. In these moments I feel success …. Or maybe it is more like reaching my destination in some way.” When asked what has been the most humbling aspect of her music career, she responds “A few times people have died while I [was] playing. That can make me feel very humbled. But in general I feel humbled realizing that someone dare to let me into their life when they are vulnerable.”
One thing is plainly obvious about Trine Opsahl. She is not just a talented Celtic harpist, but she applies her talents in the most caring, humane, and giving way possible. Her serene harp melodies enrich the lives of both the infirm and healthy. She makes the world a much better place for all those fortunate enough to hear her music. In this way, she has attained her childhood goal and we are all blessed for that.