During autumn 2018 I participated in the large Swedish festival Lund Sacred Contemporary Music Festival with a number of pieces for choir, string quartet, solo voices and electronics. The festival was the largest since some 40 years in Sweden and was organized in large part by Johan Magnus Sjöberg and Thomas Åberg in collaboration with organisations such as Musik i Syd and the Swedish church.
Here are some pieces that was perfomed live during the festival:
Friday 17:00 (Allhelgonakyrkan)
from The Sacred Family – string quartet and computer (LuKaS)
Psalm – voice and small organ (Johan Sandberg and Nils Tykesson)
Friday 20:00 (Allhelgonakyrkan) Libera me (from Judas) – choir (Lunds Vokalensemble)
Friday 23:00 (Domkyrkan) Catharsis – choir (St Johannes kammarkör)
Saturday 13:00-16:00 (Domkyrkoforum) Ser du människa? – interactive sound installation
Saturday 20:00 (Allhelgonakyrkan) white as snow – electronic music and video
Sunday 15:00 (Allhelgonakyrkan) see darkness covers the earth – choir and cello (Lunds Vokalensemble, Mattias Rodrick)
I höstas påbörjade
jag en halvtidstjänst som kyrkomusiker. Det var ett vikariat där jag haft tre
körer och en del spelningar, men det närmar sig nu sitt slut, i maj övergår jag
till att vara fast anställd kyrkomusiker på kvartsfart istället med visst ansvar
för det musikaliskt-konstnärliga arbetet i församlingen. Roligt !
Så här på upploppet
har jag organiserat ett antal konserter, och nu när påsken och våren närmar sig
har jag ett par uruppföranden och framföranden nära i tiden. De senaste tre
helgerna har det varit olika slags konserter, bland annat en konsert med musikalsånger
med min vuxenkör (fullsatt!), och den här helgen var det afternoon tea med
konsert och sånger som symboliserade en kvinnas liv - fint tyckte jag.
Imorgon sjunger
vuxenkören i gudstjänsten, och sen är det uruppförande med flöjt och piano på
palmsöndagen, cellostycke på långfredagen, elektronisk musik på påsknatten,
nyskriven musikal på påskdagen och så nytt till manskören som jag leder till
och från två veckor senare. Lite tufft. Men också roligt.
A while ago I was honoured to be appointed artist-in-residence at the hospital of Ängelholm. This is a very new (first ever) thing here in Sweden and no one really knew what I was supposed to do. I started by visiting the different parts of the rehab clinic where I am posted, to see what they where doing with the patients. This led to different interesting ideas and experiments that have since developed into various projects and potential artworks. For example, I have created new relaxing music for the physiotherapists, an interactive sensor gear, held concerts and created at least one video artwork. Furthermore I am working on two installations as well as some text-based pieces. But I think that the most important thing is the ideas and the talks I have held with the staff. I think that sometimes it is the ideas that you invoke that is the actual benefit of working with art, not the art itself. The ideas can be spread. The ideas can lead to new good things to people that I have never met. The ideas is what potentially can improve the world.
This last week I have
been i Dhaka, Bangladesh to plan for a future performance of The Weave (Den
Stora Vävoperan) at Shilpakala Academy there, the National theatre. We have met
with a lot of fantastically nice people and have been inspired and touched by
the generosity and profesionalism among the Bangladeshi people.
On the 1st of
December we performed a shortened preview version for an audience of mostly
brands and factories, but also some NGOs. We were very touched by the emotional
response from the audience!
Finally we made The Weave
or The Large Weaving Opera in Stockholm. I must confess that I have
been scared of the upcoming event when we were supposed to do the piece
at Musikaliska or the old Royal Academy of Music, a building from 1877
(where the very first Nobel prize ceremony was held in 1901).
We
had very little time for rehearsal, a new choir, uncertainties when it
came to location for the rehearsals, and many other unknowns. Scary.
But,
as it turned out, everyone still had the piece in their hearts and it
was pure joy to make it sound again. The new choir was also a bit
nervous about the whole thing, but turned out to be ambitious and hard
working.
The rehearsal went well at Bredäng kulturskola who very
generously let us be in their spaces, and when we came to Musikaliska I
think we felt that we had it more or less in our hands. Anyway the
fantastic personel at the place took great care of the production and we
instantly felt at home.
On the day of the performance, instead of
a nervous wreck, I think both myself and the ensemble felt confidence
that this was going to work. On the dress rehearsal though, most things
went really crazy but still the things didn’t make me think that we
needed to rehearse more. And it turned out I was correct, as the
performance went fantastically well and the audience (full house) was
totally enthusiastic. Happy.
I am appointed artist in redsiendce at the hospital in Ängelholm, where I’m going to do… well, I don’t know yet, but I will be working closely with the staff at the rehab team. Looking forward to start this november.
