Konserthuset Stockholm

Malvakvartetten and Agnes Kofoed Christianson. Photo: Jan-Olav Wedin

In April 2018, Konstmusiksystrar arranged a concert at Konserthuset Stockholm with music by four Konstmusiksystrar members. The event was organised by Kajsa Lindgren, Madeleine Jonsson Gille and Lo Kristenson and was part of the concert hall´s concert series, Ny Fredag (New Friday). The concert series is described on the Konserthuset Stockholm website as “A series of concerts for those who are curious about the future and want to open their ears to new music.” The concert took place in Grünewaldssalen, a beautiful chamber music venue from 1926 decorated by the artist Isaac Grünewald. Konstmusiksysstrar presented music by Agnes Kofoed Christianson, Malin Almgren, Maria W Horn, and Agnes Mercedes Einerstam Karis which was performed by the string quartet Malvakvartetten, the composers themselves and the pianist Ludvig Nilsson.

Programme:

Maria W Horn, Epistasis for string quartet and electronics

Malin Almgren, Fri som en fågel for string quartet, percussion and birdsong

Agnes Kofoed Christianson, I can be aree for string quartet, voice and piano

Agnes Kofoed Christianson, Lady from Grenade for string quartet, voice and piano

Agnes Kofoed Christianson, Esmeralda for string quartet, voice and piano

Agnes Mercedes Einerstam Karis, Heal Myself With My Own Heart for string quartet and voice with piano

Musicians:

Malvakvartetten (Linnea Hällqvist, Knapp Brita Pettersson, Maria Jonsson, Maja Molander)

Agnes Mercedes Einerstam Karis, piano/vocals

Agnes Kofoed Christianson, vocals

Ludvig Nilsson, piano

Malin Almgren, percussion

Agnes Mercedes Einerstam Karis. Photo: Jan-Olav Wedin

Six months before the presentation in Konserthuset, Konstmusiksystrar announced an open call for the members to apply with a piece or sketch of music to be performed by the string quartet Malvakvartetten. The organisers then used a lottery to select four composers at random. Before the concert, Konstmusiksystrar arranged two workshops at the Concert Hall and at Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm where the composers, together with Malvakvartetten, developed the arrangements and performances.

Konstmusiksystrar has used a lottery method  for curatorial decisions a number of times. Originally, this was a way to avoid a conflict of interest as the people on the board were friends and were also acquainted with most of the other members of the network. Randomisation as a curatorial method was explored in-depth in our project I slumpens tjänst (In the service of chance) (2018-2019), a preliminary study on the topic which was funded by Kulturbryggan/Swedish Arts Grants Committee.  

Our curatorial choices to randomise the selection of participating composers has met with both criticism and support. In Johanna Paulsson's review of the concert at Konserthuset Stockholm, she was sceptical of the use of a lottery, suggesting that it was reckless to experiment with music programming without a discussion about quality or what is aesthetically appropriate in contemporary music. The critic Camilla Lundberg, on the other hand, wrote enthusiastically about the method, which was also used for curating Konstmusiksystrar's concert at Svensk Musikvår in 2017. Lundberg wrote that it brought a much needed new energy to the scene by utilising elements of chance.

Agnes Kofoed Christianson. Photo: Jan-Olav Wedin  Malvakvartetten and Malin Almgren. Photo: Jan-Olav Wedin
Malvakvartetten and Malin Almgren. Photo: Jan-Olav Wedin
Members involved:
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