Northrop and Liquid Music Present
Karl Ove Knausgård &
Glenn Kotche: Historia
Film by Johan Renck
Sun, Nov 2, 4:00 pm
Writer Karl Ove Knausgård (My Struggle, The Morning Star) and composer/percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) unite for an immersive afternoon of words and music that celebrates collaboration, craft, and friendship. With visuals by director Johan Renck (HBO's Chernobyl, David Bowie's Blackstar), the program features the premiere of a new work that weaves together Knausgård's textual prowess and Kotche's sonic explorations. Readings and performances of both new and familiar pieces from each collaborator provide deeper context.
Knausgård will read excerpts from his latest novel, available in the U.S. in Jan 2026, called The School of Night.
A conversation on the creative process closes the program, inviting the audience to engage with and reflect on the power of artistic communion between two singular voices in their respective fields. Steph Opitz, director of bookstore partnerships at Bookshop.org, will moderate the discussion.
Commissioned by Liquid Music, Northrop, and 92NY, with gratitude to Thomas von Sternberg and Eve Parker for their support in helping to make this program possible.
Presented in partnership with Magers & Quinn Booksellers.
Articles & More
“Knausgård is among the finest writers alive … ”—The New York Times
“In the hands of a musician like Glenn, the drum set is a one-man percussion orchestra.”—John Luther Adams
“[Karl Ove Knausgård] achieves an acute, piercing psychological closeness that at times feels suffocating or maddening and at other times utterly sublime. To read Knausgaard is to find even the most mundane action pulsing with, if not meaning, then at least beauty, which can function as its own kind of meaning.”—The New Yorker
To Help You Decide
You might enjoy this performance if you love(d):
Discounts
- First Year Free Ticket for new UMN students and staff/faculty.
- Children 17 and under: 50% off base price.
- Groups: 20% off tickets for groups of 10 or more. Children within a group receive the 50% off price.
- 2024 Liquid Music and 2025–26 Northrop Season Subscribers: save 15%.
- Rush tickets will not be available for performances in the Liquid Music Series.
Know Before You Go
Event Information
- Seating: General Admission, Ticket Required
- Doors: 3:30 pm
- Performance Begins: 4:00 pm
- Duration: Approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.
- Tickets: Check the email you provided when you placed your order to locate your digital ticket. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folders if you do not see them.
- Detailed Event Information: Check back for more information closer to the date.
If you need assistance, please call 612-624-2345, email umntix@umn.edu.
Learn More - Explore These Themes
The content below derives from the Northrop Across Campus Program that supports Northrop's mission towards intersections between performing arts and education for the benefit of all participants now and for generations to come.
Find ways to make thematic connections to these suggested topics:
- Literature: Norwegian, Fiction, Autobiography
- Music: Percussion, Drumset, Contemporary, Alternative
- Film: Drama, Television, Music Video, Advertising
- Multimedia Collaboration, Cross-Genre
- Creative Process
Dive deeper with these resources that provide additional information about the performers, the history of the artform, and the artistic process.
Links:
Karl Ove Knausgård | Penguin Random House website
"'I learned to lower the threshold.’: Karl Ove Knausgård on his Process, Passions, and Life After My Struggle"—The Guardian
Video: "Karl Ove Knausgård Interview: Literature Should Be Ruthless"
"Glenn Kotche: From the Field, to the Stage"—Cavaliers Arts, Performance & Education blog
"Thinking Musically: Wilco Drummer Glenn Kotche Offers Up Some Tips"—Valley News
Video: "Sound Legacy - Glenn Kotche"
Johan Renck filmography website
Video: "Spaceman Director Johan Renck on the Joy of a Serious Adam Sandler Performance"
Start a conversation about the performance or encourage reflection, using these questions as inspiration.
Writer Karl Ove Knausgård (My Struggle, The Morning Star) and composer/percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) come together for a shared afternoon of words and music that celebrates collaboration, craft, and friendship. Featuring visuals by director Johan Renck (HBO's Chernobyl, David Bowie's Blackstar), the program premieres a new work that combines Knausgård's textual prowess with Kotche's sonic explorations, contextualized by readings and performances of pieces both new and old from each collaborator.
- Have you ever experienced a performance that brought together multiple artistic mediums? How might these cross-genre collaborations deepen one's understanding of a theme or topic?
The performance will conclude with a conversation regarding Knausgård's and Kotche's creative process, inviting the audience to engage with and reflect on the power of artistic communion between two singular voices in their respective fields.
- How do conversations and reflection regarding a recently experienced work benefit the audience and the artist(s)?
- What do you hope to learn from this one-of-a-kind experience and collaboration?
This event is part of the 2025 Liquid Music | Northrop Series, performance experiences designed to expand ideas of how live music flows through genres: dance, film, and beyond.
- How can new experiences reshape our understanding of art?
- How can multimedia artistic collaborations create new communities?
Acknowledgments
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
About the Liquid Music | Northrop Series
Expand your idea of how music flows through contemporary dance, film, and beyond. The Liquid Music | Northrop Series brings boundary-pushing works to the Northrop stage. Immerse yourself in these dynamic performances from exceptional collaborations.
