Vad kan musik göra för miljön? Klingande akademi // Kompositionsforum

On 8 March, me and the Swedish composers Marie Samuelsson, Maria Lithell Flyg and Karin Rehnqvist talked about music’s relationship with the environment and climate issues. The Royal Swedish Academy of Music and The Royal College of Music helped organise this joint event as a “Klingande Akademi”. Master students in composition within “Kompositionsforum” as well as guests from the public participated.

This was the culminating event as a fellow of the Bernadotte programme for me, and I talked about the history of conceptualising nature in music, and how contemporary art music necessarily turns towards climate change and the environment in order to understand states of nature today. The composers generously shared their thoughts on their music and these issues. Violinist Anders Lagerqvist and classical guitarist Jacob Kellerman played a duo version of Samuelsson’s “Brandnäva”, a delicate and dynamic piece about the flower fire fist that hibernates underground for hundreds of years and only grows above ground after a forest fire.

The event was well-attended and initiated interesting and relevant discussions among the audience.