In the shadow of the war

aug.

Saturday 18:00

The stage, Berwaldhallen

Included in concert ticket

A talk on the future of democracy in the Baltic region with Russian correspondent Maria Persson Löfgren, general director of the Swedish Institute Madeleine Sjöstedt, and pianist and director of the Ukrainian Institute Natalya Pasichnyk. The panel is moderated by the Swedish Radio’s former Moscow correspondent, Fredrik Wadström.
Note that this panel is held inside the concert hall, not in the lower foyer.

We would like to inform that the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, who was originally scheduled to participate in the discussion, will not be attending. Additionally, the journalist Anna-Lena Laurén, who was originally scheduled to participate, will be replaced by Maria Persson Löfgren.

The conversation will be conducted in Swedish.

Participants

Maria Persson Löfgren, Russia correspondent at Swedish Radio

Maria Persson Löfgren is Swedish Radio’s Russia correspondent, for the third time, and has lived and worked in Russia/former Soviet Union for more than 30 years, since 1990.

She was in Ukraine during the Maidan revolution 2013 – 2014, during the Crimean occupation, and the Russian start of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Maria Persson Löfgren was also in Moscow as the Russian large-scale attack on Ukraine began in February 2022.

Madeleine Sjöstedt, general director of the Swedish Institute

Madeleine Sjöstedt is director general of the Swedish Institute (SI). SI is tasked with disseminating information and knowledge about Sweden, promoting Swedish interests internationally, and contributing to long-term relations between Sweden and other countries. SI is one of three actors who, on behalf of the Swedish government, work for a more resilient, sustainable, and democratic Ukraine, within the framework of the government’s new aid strategy for Ukraine. Madeleine Sjöstedt is a lawyer with a focus on human rights, with extensive experience as a manager and leader in both the public and private sectors. She has a particular focus on international relations, democracy, and cultural issues.

Natalya Pasichnyk pianist, director of the Ukrainian Institute

Ukrainian-Swedish pianist Natalya Pasichnyk has performed at prestigious venues the world over, from Suntory Hall in Tokyo to the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and at festivals such as La Folle journée in France, Schubertiada in Spain and Gdańsk Piano Autumn in Poland. She has played with orchestras including the Mozarteum Orchestra, Orchestre d’Auvergne, Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and with conductors such as Michael Zilm, Christopher Hogwood, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Arie van Beck and Jacek Kaspszyk. Having a vast repertoire, she not only performs on contemporary instruments but also historical ones.

She has made numerous recordings for radio and TV in Sweden, Belgium, Spain and Poland, and critically acclaimed albums with various prominent record labels. Her 2016 release Consolation: Forgotten Treasures of the Ukrainian Soul was met with the highest acclaim and named highlight of the year by German paper Mittel-Bayerische. She is a prize-winner at several international competitions.

Pasichnyk is a frequent jury member at international competitions and regularly gives masterclasses. In 2014, she founded the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden. She has been the artistic leader of several music festivals. In 2021, she received her Doctor of Arts for her project on George Crumb’s Makrokosmos. Two years later, she earned her Ph.D. in Artistic Research at the Grieg Academy in Bergen for her project “Rethinking the Well-Tempered Clavier”, a project which also earned her the Church of Sweden’s cultural stipend in 2022. Early 2024, that Ph.D. project turned into a brand-new album recorded with the Calmus Ensemble.

Fredrik Wadström, journalist

Fredrik Wadström is a journalist at Swedish Radio’s culture department. For more than 25 years he has worked with Russia and the former Soviet Union as his specialist area. He was also Swedish Radio’s Moscow correspondent from 2008 to 2011.