Henning Sommerro (born 3 May 1952 in Surnadal Municipality) is a Norwegian musician, composer and professor at NTNU.
Sommerro grew up on the Sommerro farm at Skei in Surnadal Municipality. His name became widely known in 1977 when the folk music group VÃÂ¥rsøg released their recording of Hans HyldbakkâÂÂs poem VÃÂ¥rsøg.
Sommerro had his first lessons in organ and piano at the age of sixteen at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim. He studied organ there from 1970âÂÂ1974, and from 1974âÂÂ1976 he was organist in the villages of Stangvik and Todalen. From 1976âÂÂ1977 he studied organ and composition at the music academy in Basel, and in 1978 he became director of music at the Teatret VÃÂ¥rt theatre in Molde. From 1985âÂÂ1990 he was director of music at Trøndelag Teater. Additionally in the years 1986âÂÂ1988 he was a music consultant for Norwegian radio (NRK P2). Since 1990 he has been a professor at the Department of Music of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (formerly the Trøndelag Musikkonservatorium).
SommerroâÂÂs performing career began in his youth as a member of the band The Tramps which later changed its name to Mad Movies. In 1977 he made his recording début with the folksong group VÃÂ¥rsøg, which released three records. Sommerro has since that time performed on his own, with various groups, and as an accompanist for, among others, Erik Bye, Sigmund Groven, Geirr Lystrup, Halvdan Sivertsen, Bjørn Alterhaug, Dalakopa, Arve Tellefsen, John PÃÂ¥l Inderberg, Palle Mikkelborg, àge Aleksandersen, Arne Domnerus, Aly Bain, and Choeur Grégorien de Paris.
Henning Sommerro has written music for over 140 different theatre and film productions. Of these should be mentioned Kjærleikens ferjereiser (film, 1979); An-Magritt (1988, nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize 2008); Wayfarers (Landstrykere, 1989); the Steinvikholmen opera Olav Engelbrektsson (1993); the sacred operas Jesu siste dager (1997) and Eystein av Nidaros; Partisan Requiem (2000); the folk music ("gammeldans") mass Vindens hjul (1994). He has also set to music poetry by Hans Hyldbakk and hymns by Edvard Hoem.