Press release 15/6/2010

The 9th Stockholm Early Music Festival ended in cheers and applause on Sunday evening, as Spanish Renaissance ensemble Capella de Ministrers performed before a full house in the Old Town’s German Church.

The festival offered a wide variety of concerts, including performances by Europe’s currently most sought-after countertenor Philippe Jaroussky on his first visit to Stockholm, as well as the grand old man of baroque music, Ton Koopman. In spite of coinciding with other festivals in Stockholm, SEMF 2010 can report a record attendance, with a 20 percent increase compared to 2009. An indication of a not only continued but increasing interest in early music among concert-goers!

Next year’s festival is scheduled for 2-6 June. SEMF 2011 will mark the festival’s ten-year anniversary – provided that the economic conditions, dependent on grants and sponsoring, improve. Stockholm Early Music Festival now works to establish a permanent stage for early music in the historical concert hall at Nybrokajen 11. As the festival prepares to launch a new season of the concert series Early Music LIVE at Nybrokajen 11, the building's future remains a subject of debate. Current information about the concerts in the new series will be available on the SEMF website.

The Swedish Early Music Award ("Årets Mungiga") 2010 has been granted to Peter Pontvik, the artistic director and founder of the Stockholm Early Music Festival. The award ceremony will take place at the inauguration of the Stockholm Early Music Festival on June 9th, 2010. The Swedish Early Music Society grants the award annually to a person or group who has made a particularly important contribution to early music in Sweden. Among the previous recipients are the orchestra Göteborg Baroque with its leader Magnus Kjellson, recorder player Clas Pehrson, musician Cajsa S Lund, Professor Erik Kjellberg and singer Susanne Rydén.

Motivation
Through his artistic direction, his indefatigable energy, goal orientation and knowledge Peter Pontvik has, made the Stockholm Early Music Festival (SEMF) and the concert series Early Music LIVE! into institutions that have reverberated not just in Sweden but also abroad. Both the festival and the concert series maintain a high international standard of quality and show an incredible breadth and multitude of performances of Baroque, Renaissance and Medieval music with a focus on European music, but with an openness toward early music expressions from other continents. The festival has also created new opportunities for a younger generation of musicians who can meet their role models in seminars and to be able to display their own abilities in competitions for grants. With the concert series Early Music LIVE! Peter Pontvik has established a permanent stage in Stockholm where early music finds as natural a performance space as classical music has on its many stages. The importance of the festival and the concert series, which bring to a broader Swedish audience an increased awareness of and interest in early music, cannot be overstated.

The Swedish Early Music Society was founded in 1979 and has about 1,000 members. The society strives to be a network where members can exchange knowledge and experience. The society works to promote early music in Sweden, supports young musicians through grants, contributes to educational initiatives and publishes the culture magazine Tidig Musik (Early Music). For more information, see www.tidigmusik.com.

PRESS RELEASE 11/06/2010

Yesterday’s final of EAR-ly 2010 for young Nordic early music ensembles, held during the 9th Stockholm Early Music Festival, became a close competition between three talented ensembles. The international jury, headed by Ton Koopman, awarded the SEK 50,000 scholarship to NORWEGIAN CORNETT AND SACKBUTS, emphasising the ensemble’s stage presence and musical communication.

The audience was also given the opportunity to vote for their favourite ensemble, and the honour was bestowed on Swedish WOODPECKERS RECORDER QUARTET. The EAR-ly competition is arranged biennially by the Nordic Early Music Federation (NORDEM) with the purpose of stimulating the interest in early music among young musicians.