Maria, (b. 1998) hails from the beautiful fjord country in western Norway, specifically the town of Sandane in the county of Sogn og Fjordane.
She began her flute studies in the Gloppen music school at the age of seven with John Rune Ødven as her teacher. She later attended Firda Secondary School in Sandane which offers a music specialty curriculum. Ødven continued as her teacher there. When she was fifteen she was selected to participate in the ”Barratt Due Unge Talenter” talent program in Oslo, and she traveled there regularly concurrent with her Middle School and High School studies in Sandane. At Barratt Due she studied with Norwegian National Music Conservatory Professor and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Co-Principal Flutist, Tom Ottar Andreassen as well as with Randi Krogvold Lundqvist.
In the same year, Maria was a featured soloist with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra along with her twin sister, Ingrid, and they both were later used as soloists in Barratt Due’s grand Christmas concert in Oslo Cathedral.
In 2017 Maria was accepted into the Norwegian National Music Conservatory as a Flute Performance Major. She continues to study with Tom Ottar Andreassen as well as with Trond Magne Brekka, Solo Piccoloist with the Oslo Philharmonic.
Together with sister Ingrid, she engaged in a collaboration with violinist/composer, Henning Kraggerud who arranged his own and others’ compositions for and with the girls. Among the pieces are solo works, duets, chamber music and notably an original composition which he dedicated to the sisters. The girls have appeared in concert with Kraggerrud both as a trio and with other musicians.