Lene Grenager (b. 1969) grew up in Halden and studied cello and composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Since 1995, she has worked professionally as both cellist and composer. As composer, she has written for ensembles such as Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Cikada, Bit 20, Trondheim Sinfonietta, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Alpaca, Ensemble Zwischentöne and Duo Ego and has collaborated closely with soloists such as Rolf Borch, Tanja Orning, Håkon Stene, Michael Francis Duch and Marianne Baudouin Lie. She's had portrait concerts at Ultima and Borealis festivals and her music has been performed at among others Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Novembermusikk, Sound of Stockholm, Ilios and Kalvfestivalen.
As a cellist she is specialized in improvised music and works mainly in the quartets SPUNK and Lemur, and in a duo with singer Sofia Jernberg. With these constellations Lene has played concerts all over Europe and in USA, and at festivals such as Donaueschinger Musiktage, Huddersfield CMF, Tectonics, Novelum, Moldejazz and Kongsberg Jazz festival. In addition, she has held single concerts and collaborated with Joelle Leandre, Sten Sandell, Ellen Fullman, Albatrosh, Trondheim jazzorkester and Phantom Orchard Orchestra.
Grenager is interested in notation and how different ways of notation influences the musician and the sounding result. She collaborates with musicians from different traditions and this results in scores ranging between precise notation and graphic notation. Electronics and samples are an integrated part of several of her works.
She has worked as producer, musician and composer on a number of recordings, including solo release "Slåtter, slag og slark'',“Affinis suite" and "Systema Naturae" – which was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy Award in two categories in 2013, "Smilodon", "Khipukamayuq" and "Works for Bass". In the years 2002-2004 and 2009-2013 she had an annual work grant from the Arts Council. She was also awarded the Lindeman Price for youths in 2002. In 2018 she was awarded Arne Nordheim Composers prize from the Norwegian Department of Culture.