The classical music magazine Gramophone wrote of Marianne Beate Kielland: ‘The mezzo-soprano is quite outstanding: strong, firm, sensitive in modulations, imaginative in her treatment of words, with a voice pure in quality, wide in range, and unfalteringly true in intonation.’ Kielland studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Svein Bjørkøy. Her other teachers have included Oren Brown and Barbara Bonney. Con­sidered today one of Europe’s leading singers, she performs regularly on major concert stages in Eu­rope, America and The East. Among the conduc­tors with whom she has performed are Philippe Herreweghe, Fabio Biondi, Jordi Savall, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Christophe Rousset, Marc Minkowski, Masaaki Suzuki, Thomas Dausgaard, Juanjo Mena, Jos van Immerseel, Robert King, Andrew Manze, Daniel Reuss and Rune Bergmann.
In 2012 she received a Grammy nomination in the category of ’Best Classical Vocal Solo’ for her recording of Veslemøy Synsk by the composer Olav Anton Thommessen. With more than fifty other albums in addition to a demanding concert schedule, Marianne Beate Kielland is established as an exceptional performer with a wide-ranging repertoire from baroque to contemporary.
Together with pianist Nils Anders Mortensen she has previously released 11 recordings on the LAWO Classics label: Früh (LWC1033), Sæle jole­kveld (LWC1040), Grieg (LWC1059), Young Elling (LWC1072), The New Song (LWC1097), Whisper­ing Mozart (LWC1111), Songs: Kielland/Dørums­gaard (LWC1145), Einsamkeit — Songs by Mahler (LWC1157), Eivind Groven Songs (LWC1178), Schumann Lieder (LWC1197) with baritone Jo­hannes Weisser, and Så kort ein sommar mennes­ka har – Songs by Gisle Kverndokk (LWC1220). In 2015 she released Påsketid (LWC1077) with vio­linist Elise Båtnes and organist Kåre Nordstoga, in 2017 she released Terra Nova (LWC1125) with composer and pianist Jan Gunnar Hoff, and in 2020 she released The Lofoten Oratorio by Ketil Bjørnstad (LWC1202) with Lofoten Voices and MinEnsemblet.