Nationalorkester musicians perform in Stockholm's Konserthuset
Young musicians from El Sistema Sweden's national orchestra spent the end of October rehearsing in Södertälje and Stockholm at the second Nationalorkester Music Camp. Below, you can find out more about this unique project and access the Konserthuset concert video to witness the fruits of their labours as premiered live online at the start of November.
The Nationalorkester project
Developed by El Sistema Sweden and STIM with the support of SEB and Signatur, the Nationalorkester currently consists of 45 young musicians between the ages of 11 and 19. These musicians are selected from Kulturskolan and El Sistema programmes throughout Sweden and hold the honour of belonging to the first national Sistema orchestra in Europe.
Started to coincide with the build-up to El Sistema Sweden's 10th anniversary year in the October half-term of 2019, this ambitious project will ultimately lead to an orchestra of 80-100 children and young people from around Sweden who take part in music camps and performances in collaboration with orchestras and concert halls throughout the country.
Mattias Franzén, Head of Operations on STIM's Promotional Committee, is enthusiastic about the potential and the ambition of the new programme:
It is extremely exciting to be able to start a national youth symphony orchestra. We believe that it will help to revitalise and democratise future recruitment to music education programmes and professional symphony orchestras, thereby enriching Swedish music life.
Mixing up the repertoire
STIM's Council for the Promotion of Music works to promote new music and to provide the necessary conditions for future creativity in the field of music and this is one of the many reasons for STIM's involvement in El Sistema Sweden's Nationalorkester, which boasts a strong focus on newly written and contemporary music in addition to its core reportoire of classical orchestra pieces.
The Nationalorkester's enthusiasm for contemporary composers can be seen in the repertoire for Monday's premiere, which, under the direction of Ron Davis Alvarez, will feature pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven but also by 20th and 21st century composers, such as Frida Sweden, Kina Sellergren, Bo Nilsson, Tormod Tvete Vik and Benjamin Staern.
Concert programme & link
| Composer |
Piece |
Approx. length |
| Frida Swedén |
Fanfare for a Dreamer |
– |
| Kina Sellergren |
Fanfar för Hubben |
1 min |
| Ludwig van Beethoven |
The 5th Symphony |
7 mins |
| Tormod Tvete Vik |
Suite for Hope |
9 mins |
| Benjamin Staern |
Ur En strimma hav |
– |
| Carlos Medrano |
Merengue del primero |
3 mins |
| arr. Carlos Carcia/Tormod Tvete Vik |
Ritmos Ciganos |
2 mins |
Last year's camp
After you've enjoyed the concert, why not take a look at the official video of last year's camp for additional insight into the formation of the Nationalorkester and a glimpse behind the scenes at its first-ever training week in 2019:
Relive the first Nationalorkester camp from 2019
Want to find out more about El Sistema Sweden?
Below you can find links to El Sistema Sweden's online platforms. Click on the relevant links to visit the websites of your choice:
http://www.elsistema.seelsistema.se
https://www.instagram.com/elsistemaswedeninstagram.com/elsistemasweden
https://www.facebook.com/ElSistemaSwedenfacebook.com/ElSistemaSweden