By KURT BAKKEMOEN, translated from Norwegian by Robert A Jones

Sissel Kyrkjebø (35) will take her girls Ingrid (9) and Sarah (5) on this summer's tour. Thus will the daughters learn about their mama's homeland.

Sissel has a busy summer coming up: in addition to eight outdoor concerts in Norway and Sweden, she will begin her new album.
 
"I consider the concerts almost as a part of my summer vacation, since I can combine the job with vacation. I will have my daughters with on some of the jobs, so will we see a bit more of our beautiful nature," said Sissel to VG.
 
Now the goldthroat will sing in Norwegian. The album will come out in October.
 
Hectic summer
 "I will test out some of the new songs at the concerts this summer. If they don't work on stage, I'll drop them from the album. In the beginning the album was going to be called 'Nordiske sommernetter' [Nordic Summer Nights] and come out around that time. Now the album will be coming out closer to Christmas, so maybe we'll have to re-christen it 'Nordiske vinternetter' [Nordic Winter Nights]," said Sissel Kyrkjebø.
 
According to the plan, she will record the album in Oslo during the course of the summer and early fall.
 
Sissel Kyrkjebø will have a very active concert summer in Norway, with six concerts from Larvik in the south to Alta in the north:
 
"It is fun to sing outdoors, but there are also many distracting elements that can make you lose your concentration," she said.
 
She will be involved with the Fireworks concert at Fritzøe harbor in Larvik on 2. July, at Rondane outdoor stage in Otta on 24. July and at Stilla in the Alta river on 21. August. There she will, among others, have with her own band and orchestra.
 
"I have never been to Alta before, but I remember the place well from the 'lenkegjengen' [chain gang] and the catchphrase 'La elva leve' [Let the river live] from 1979-1981. In addition I will have a concert with Plácido Domingo in the Viking Stadium in Stavanger on 12. August and three with him in Iceland," she said.
 
Free Concerts
This summer she will also have two huge free concerts: one in Oslo and one in Bergen, on 27. August and 3. September respectively. There she will sing the concert version of the "Lord of the Rings," which she has had success with around the world recently.
 
"I have sung this concert over 20 times in, among other places, Tokyo, Moscow, Athens, Sevilla, London and across the USA. There I sing both English and the Elf language," said Sissel.
 
With her at these two huge concerts in Frogner Park in Oslo and at Festplassen in Bergen are the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Bach Choir, Ensemble 96, Sølvguttene [The Silver Boys], Annbjørg Lien and Irish Paddy Malone, all under the direction of Christian Eggen.
 
"Executed"
VG asked Sissel if she has performance anxiety, angst about receiving her first bad review either in concert or for an album. She laughed raw and said:
 
"I was nearly executed by a journalist in Expressen [Sweden's largest newspaper] after a Christmas concert in Sweden: 'Here Died Christmas! She Cannot Sing!' it said on a huge sign with a giant picture. There you have me: 'Christmas killer!'" said Sissel, who promises new Norwegian concerts after the release of this fall's album. Concerts which perhaps will be pre-Christmas concerts.