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Chamber Unplugged: Amy Beach

Get closer to the music – and the musicians – with Chamber Unplugged! Musicians from the Swedish Radio Choir and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra plays chamber music at Studio 2 in Radiohuset (the Swedish Radio), providing an intimate and engaging concert experience.

Meet spring with music by Amy Beach, an American composer and pianist who has been forgotten for many years, but is now on her way to being rediscovered!

Amy Beach was the US’ first female composer of art music to break through, both in her home country and internationally. She was very popular during her lifetime, but fell into oblivion. Lately, she has started to get attention again. Her songs were particularly popular, as was her symphony from 1896. She also wrote some chamber music – her Piano Quintet in F sharp minor and Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet will be performed here. Beach’s romantic inclination is evident in both pieces, as is her talent for beautiful melodies and skilful arrangements.


Participants

 

Malin William-Olsson är sedan 2011 anställd i Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester som alternerande stämledare i andrafiolstämman. Hon har tidigare varit andre konsertmästare i Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester och är utbildad i både Sverige och Tyskland. Internationellt har hon spelat mycket med bland andra Mahler Chamber Orchestra och kammarorkestern Spira mirabilis.

Som kammarmusiker är hon mycket aktiv på både violin och viola. Hon är medlem i de internationellt ryktbara ensemblerna Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble och Messiaen Quartet Copenhagen. Hon har nyligen tagit över stafettpinnen som konstnärlig ledare för Båstad Kammarmusikfestival under 2024–2026.

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The Finnish violist Eriikka Nylund has been principal violist with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2007. Nylund studied at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Musik-Akademie Basel and Mozarteum, Salzburg. Until 2006, she was one of the founding members of the multiple award-winning Finnish string quartet Meta4, winner of the international Shostakovich Chamber Music Competition in Moscow in 2004, including the jury prize for best Shostakovich interpretation. She has appeared as a soloist with several major orchestras and was previously principal violist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

Pianist Martin Sturfält has established himself as a prominent interpreter of both new and old Swedish music. He has made critically acclaimed recordings of Wilhelm Stenhammar’s piano music and, together with the Helsingborg symphonic orchestra and Andrew Manze, the two piano concertos by Adolf Wiklund. As a soloist, Sturfält is a recurrent visitor to both Swedish and international symphony orchestras while also being a dedicated chamber musician.

Sturfält has collaborated with among others, Hebert Blomstedt, Sir Mark Elder, Thomas Dausgaard, and Alexander Vedernikov. He has played with orchestras including the Hallé orchestra, New London Sinfonia and all of the Swedish symphonic orchestras. Sturfält has given solo- and chamber music concerts at Musikaliska and Konserthuset in Stockholm, Wigmore Hall, Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall I London, Concergegouw in Amsterdam and at the Palais des Beux-Arts in Brussels.

Martin Sturfält has won first prize in several international competitions, including the Yamaha-competitions in Sweden 1999 and in England 2002, the John Ogdon Prize in London 2004 and the Terence Judd Award in Manchester 2005.

Concert length: 1 h