Karl Espegard is a violinist from Drammen, Norway. He is a founding member of the critically acclaimed tango band El Muro Tango, with whom he made his debut at The Royal Concertgebouw in August 2019. The band has toured extensively in Europe and Argentina, and released their debut album, Nostálgico, in 2018 to great reviews in the international press. In 2023 came the second album, Manifiesto, on Sony Music Argentina in collaboration with the Latin Grammy-nominated Argentine singer Omar Mollo. This latest album has earned them a nomination for the 2024 Argentine Grammy Award in the category «Best Tango Album».
«… the craftsmanship here is exceptional. This is quality music, played to perfection. Furthermore, it is clear that every band member plays each note with the precise passion that ensures tango will never simply be consigned to the history books.» – Dan Hobson, Songlines Magazine
Karl regularly works with Norway’s most prominent theaters such as Det Norske Teatret and Nationaltheatret in Oslo. He has collaborated with celebrated artists and ensembles like Ylvis, Alexander Rybak, Herborg Kråkevik, Tora Augestad, The Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Norwegian Chamber Opera, and the Swiss Chamber Orchestra. Karl has appeared at many international festivals, including Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Innsbruck Tango Festival, Zurich Tango Festival, Les Nuits d’Été (Savoie), Olavsfestdagene (Trondheim), Oslo Opera Festival, and Grieg in Bergen. As a chamber musician, he has performed at venues such as Usina del Arte (Buenos Aires), Moscow International House of Music, Beijing Forbidden City Concert Hall, and Konzerthaus München.
«Tango according to tradition, with heart and soul aimed at the present time» – Ohrenschmauch
Karl started taking violin lessons with Thode Fagelund in Drammen from the age of eight and continued his studies with Ole Bøhn, Morten Carlsen, and Stephan Barratt Due at Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo. He graduated from Hochschule der Künste Bern and the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2007 with professor Detlef Hahn.
Karl Espegard performs on a violin by Tetsuo Matsuda from 2003.