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Ida Moberg (1859-1947) Orchestral Suite: Sunrise 1. Sunrise 2. Prelude - activity 3. Evening 4. Stillness For Finnish composer Ida Moberg, composing meant searching for the ultimate truths of life. Her philosophical and esoteric compositions often express an individual’s spiritual quest and inner transformation. The Sunrise orchestral suite (1907) is also an inner journey, where searching motifs alternate with mystical visions and silences. The evocation of nature serves as metaphors for meditation and for communicating with the universe. The first movement (Sunrise) is built on a wide range, from the ripple of a few notes to a soaring chorale-like completion – like a great spiritual awakening. Then we are guided through the day’s tasks and activities, leading up to the evening’s rest. Moberg conducted the premiere of the work in Viborg in 1908. She began her career as a singer and piano teacher, and only later did she train as a composer and conductor. She was a pioneer in theosophical and anthroposophical circles in Finland and is now also a queer icon. Susanna Välimäki

Anders Hillborg, a constantly relevant figure on the music scene, is one of Sweden’s most internationally sought-after composers. Recent works include Piano Concerto No. 2, written for Emanuel Ax, and Hell Mountain—a tribute to Gustav Mahler—which premiered with Klaus Mäkelä and the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2025. Alexander Kantorow gave the premiere of Hillborgs suite for solo piano in Lucerne in 2026. The Sax Concerto was commissioned by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and written for his son, Theo Hillborg. “It is a great privilege for both Theo and me that the world premiere of my saxophone concerto is being performed by the dream team of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Pekka Kuusisto. I have written pieces for Theo before, but this is the first large-scale work featuring a full orchestra. Theo plays all the saxophones; we considered including the tenor sax for a while, but ultimately decided to focus on the soprano sax—in my opinion, the most appealing instrument in the saxophone family. The saxophone begins tentatively, intimately, and lyrically, before sweeping through widely varied soundscapes—ranging from dreamlike sonic worlds to violent outbursts and pulsating euphoria. A huge THANK YOU to John Kongsgaard—without his generous contribution, this concerto would not have come into being.” – Anders Hillborg

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 1, Titan The first symphony was premiered in Budapest with the composer as conductor. The music attracted violent criticism, because this was something that was not expected. Mahler had made a name for himself as a brilliant opera conductor but as a composer he was virtually unknown, and now he came up with an ambitious, stylistically variegated and strangely personal symphony. Few works by Mahler have since undergone so many revisions - right up until 1898. When the first version was found in the 1960s, it was clear that the differences were large. The opening is compelling: it begins with an unforgettable feeling of space and stillness. Perhaps Mahler was thinking of when he was left alone in the forest by his father with the promise not to move until his father returned - and it took many hours. Gradually, thematic fragments emerge: horn calls, trumpet fanfares, birdsong. The second movement was first called "Full Sails" and reflects a longing for nature and lively, Austrian-inspired peasant dances. "Mourning march à la Callot" he called the third movement, and the etching intended by the artist shows the dead hunter being carried on a stretcher by the animals of the forest. It is a parodic picture and a highly parodic piece of music, which is based on the well-known children's song Frère Jacques in an ironic, grotesque and bitter minor version. In the trio part there is another quote from Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. The finale is the despair of a wounded heart. He borrowed the title of the movement from Dante: "From inferno to paradise". Music may seem to start in hell, and Mahler was probably a long way to paradise. But he didn't get there yet, he did so only in the second symphony - and it was started immediately after the first.

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2019-2020 season, Barbara Hannigan is Principal guest conductor. We are also a proud partner of Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium mentoring program focusing on young singers at the start of their careers. The title Principal Guest Conductor is shared by Pekka Kuusisto from 2025. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra's chief conductor from 1907 to 1922. He gave the orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to the orchestra. Under the direction of conductor Neeme Järvi from 1982-2004, the orchestra made a series of international tours as well as a hundred disc recordings and established themselves among Europe's leading orchestras. In 1996, the Swedish Riksdag appointed the Gothenburg Symphony as Sweden's National Orchestra. In recent decades, the orchestra has had prominent chief conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mario Venzago and Gustavo Dudamel, following Kent Nagano as Principal Guest conductor. Anna-Karin Larsson is CEO and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel honorary conductor and Neeme Järvi chief conductor emeritus. The orchestra's owner is the Västra Götaland Region. The Gothenburg Symphony works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto is known for his artistic freedom and innovative approach to repertoire. Season 2025-2026 he joined as Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. He is also artistic director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and principal guest conductor and artistic partner of the Helsinki Philharmonic. He is appointed chief conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra from 2028. Season 2025-2026, Kuusisto led three distinctive programmes with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra with soloists such as Anne Sofie von Otter, Ava Bahari, Andreas Brantelid and Katarina Barruk. He continued his work with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra presenting the renowned DSCH project, and took the stage as both conductor and soloist with the Helsinki Philharmonic, including a tour across Germany and Austria. He guest conducted Oslo Philharmonic, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with New Zealand and Tasmanian symphony orchestras, and with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. As soloist, he appeared with the Royal Stockholm Symphony Orchestra and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin in a New Year’s programme with Joana Mallwitz. Kuusisto gets involved across the entire artistic spectrum. He has collaborated with musicians such as Hauschka & Kosminen, Dutch neurologist Erik Scherder, electro pioneer Brian Crabtree, jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen, juggler Jay Gilligan, accordionist Dermot Dunne and folk artist Sam Amidon. Composers who have written violin concertos for Kuusisto include Nico Muhly, Sebastian Fagerlund and Bryce Dessner. In 2026, Kuusisto, Sam Amidon and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra collaborated on the album Willows. The soundtrack of animated series Moominvalley composed by Kuusisto, Samuli Kosminen and Jarmo Saari was released in January 2025. Pekka Kuusisto plays an Antonio Stradivarius from 1695 on generous loan from Anders Sveaas Charitable Trust.

Born in Stockholm, saxophonist Theo Hillborg has performed as a soloist with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, having been the first saxophonist in history to reach the finals of the Swedish Soloist Prize. Theo is also greatly in demand as a chamber musician, performing internationally as a member of the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, one of Europe's leading ensembles for contemporary music. After winning first prize in Sweden's biggest chamber music competition 'Ung och Lovande', Theo embarked on a national tour of thirty recitals across the whole of Sweden together with duo partner and pianist Julia Isaksson. He is a recipient of the 'Anders Wall's Giresta Scholarship' and was recently elected 'Associate of the Royal Academy of Music' in London, having graduated there in 2019 with First Class Honours under the tutelage of Simon Haram.

Ida Moberg (1859-1947) Orchestral Suite: Sunrise 1. Sunrise 2. Prelude - activity 3. Evening 4. Stillness For Finnish composer Ida Moberg, composing meant searching for the ultimate truths of life. Her philosophical and esoteric compositions often express an individual’s spiritual quest and inner transformation. The Sunrise orchestral suite (1907) is also an inner journey, where searching motifs alternate with mystical visions and silences. The evocation of nature serves as metaphors for meditation and for communicating with the universe. The first movement (Sunrise) is built on a wide range, from the ripple of a few notes to a soaring chorale-like completion – like a great spiritual awakening. Then we are guided through the day’s tasks and activities, leading up to the evening’s rest. Moberg conducted the premiere of the work in Viborg in 1908. She began her career as a singer and piano teacher, and only later did she train as a composer and conductor. She was a pioneer in theosophical and anthroposophical circles in Finland and is now also a queer icon. Susanna Välimäki

Anders Hillborg, a constantly relevant figure on the music scene, is one of Sweden’s most internationally sought-after composers. Recent works include Piano Concerto No. 2, written for Emanuel Ax, and Hell Mountain—a tribute to Gustav Mahler—which premiered with Klaus Mäkelä and the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2025. Alexander Kantorow gave the premiere of Hillborgs suite for solo piano in Lucerne in 2026. The Sax Concerto was commissioned by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and written for his son, Theo Hillborg. “It is a great privilege for both Theo and me that the world premiere of my saxophone concerto is being performed by the dream team of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Pekka Kuusisto. I have written pieces for Theo before, but this is the first large-scale work featuring a full orchestra. Theo plays all the saxophones; we considered including the tenor sax for a while, but ultimately decided to focus on the soprano sax—in my opinion, the most appealing instrument in the saxophone family. The saxophone begins tentatively, intimately, and lyrically, before sweeping through widely varied soundscapes—ranging from dreamlike sonic worlds to violent outbursts and pulsating euphoria. A huge THANK YOU to John Kongsgaard—without his generous contribution, this concerto would not have come into being.” – Anders Hillborg

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 1, Titan The first symphony was premiered in Budapest with the composer as conductor. The music attracted violent criticism, because this was something that was not expected. Mahler had made a name for himself as a brilliant opera conductor but as a composer he was virtually unknown, and now he came up with an ambitious, stylistically variegated and strangely personal symphony. Few works by Mahler have since undergone so many revisions - right up until 1898. When the first version was found in the 1960s, it was clear that the differences were large. The opening is compelling: it begins with an unforgettable feeling of space and stillness. Perhaps Mahler was thinking of when he was left alone in the forest by his father with the promise not to move until his father returned - and it took many hours. Gradually, thematic fragments emerge: horn calls, trumpet fanfares, birdsong. The second movement was first called "Full Sails" and reflects a longing for nature and lively, Austrian-inspired peasant dances. "Mourning march à la Callot" he called the third movement, and the etching intended by the artist shows the dead hunter being carried on a stretcher by the animals of the forest. It is a parodic picture and a highly parodic piece of music, which is based on the well-known children's song Frère Jacques in an ironic, grotesque and bitter minor version. In the trio part there is another quote from Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. The finale is the despair of a wounded heart. He borrowed the title of the movement from Dante: "From inferno to paradise". Music may seem to start in hell, and Mahler was probably a long way to paradise. But he didn't get there yet, he did so only in the second symphony - and it was started immediately after the first.

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2019-2020 season, Barbara Hannigan is Principal guest conductor. We are also a proud partner of Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium mentoring program focusing on young singers at the start of their careers. The title Principal Guest Conductor is shared by Pekka Kuusisto from 2025. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra's chief conductor from 1907 to 1922. He gave the orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to the orchestra. Under the direction of conductor Neeme Järvi from 1982-2004, the orchestra made a series of international tours as well as a hundred disc recordings and established themselves among Europe's leading orchestras. In 1996, the Swedish Riksdag appointed the Gothenburg Symphony as Sweden's National Orchestra. In recent decades, the orchestra has had prominent chief conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mario Venzago and Gustavo Dudamel, following Kent Nagano as Principal Guest conductor. Anna-Karin Larsson is CEO and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel honorary conductor and Neeme Järvi chief conductor emeritus. The orchestra's owner is the Västra Götaland Region. The Gothenburg Symphony works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto is known for his artistic freedom and innovative approach to repertoire. Season 2025-2026 he joined as Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. He is also artistic director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and principal guest conductor and artistic partner of the Helsinki Philharmonic. He is appointed chief conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra from 2028. Season 2025-2026, Kuusisto led three distinctive programmes with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra with soloists such as Anne Sofie von Otter, Ava Bahari, Andreas Brantelid and Katarina Barruk. He continued his work with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra presenting the renowned DSCH project, and took the stage as both conductor and soloist with the Helsinki Philharmonic, including a tour across Germany and Austria. He guest conducted Oslo Philharmonic, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with New Zealand and Tasmanian symphony orchestras, and with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. As soloist, he appeared with the Royal Stockholm Symphony Orchestra and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin in a New Year’s programme with Joana Mallwitz. Kuusisto gets involved across the entire artistic spectrum. He has collaborated with musicians such as Hauschka & Kosminen, Dutch neurologist Erik Scherder, electro pioneer Brian Crabtree, jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen, juggler Jay Gilligan, accordionist Dermot Dunne and folk artist Sam Amidon. Composers who have written violin concertos for Kuusisto include Nico Muhly, Sebastian Fagerlund and Bryce Dessner. In 2026, Kuusisto, Sam Amidon and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra collaborated on the album Willows. The soundtrack of animated series Moominvalley composed by Kuusisto, Samuli Kosminen and Jarmo Saari was released in January 2025. Pekka Kuusisto plays an Antonio Stradivarius from 1695 on generous loan from Anders Sveaas Charitable Trust.

Born in Stockholm, saxophonist Theo Hillborg has performed as a soloist with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, having been the first saxophonist in history to reach the finals of the Swedish Soloist Prize. Theo is also greatly in demand as a chamber musician, performing internationally as a member of the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, one of Europe's leading ensembles for contemporary music. After winning first prize in Sweden's biggest chamber music competition 'Ung och Lovande', Theo embarked on a national tour of thirty recitals across the whole of Sweden together with duo partner and pianist Julia Isaksson. He is a recipient of the 'Anders Wall's Giresta Scholarship' and was recently elected 'Associate of the Royal Academy of Music' in London, having graduated there in 2019 with First Class Honours under the tutelage of Simon Haram.

Ida Moberg (1859-1947) Orchestral Suite: Sunrise 1. Sunrise 2. Prelude - activity 3. Evening 4. Stillness For Finnish composer Ida Moberg, composing meant searching for the ultimate truths of life. Her philosophical and esoteric compositions often express an individual’s spiritual quest and inner transformation. The Sunrise orchestral suite (1907) is also an inner journey, where searching motifs alternate with mystical visions and silences. The evocation of nature serves as metaphors for meditation and for communicating with the universe. The first movement (Sunrise) is built on a wide range, from the ripple of a few notes to a soaring chorale-like completion – like a great spiritual awakening. Then we are guided through the day’s tasks and activities, leading up to the evening’s rest. Moberg conducted the premiere of the work in Viborg in 1908. She began her career as a singer and piano teacher, and only later did she train as a composer and conductor. She was a pioneer in theosophical and anthroposophical circles in Finland and is now also a queer icon. Susanna Välimäki

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2019-2020 season, Barbara Hannigan is Principal guest conductor. We are also a proud partner of Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium mentoring program focusing on young singers at the start of their careers. The title Principal Guest Conductor is shared by Pekka Kuusisto from 2025. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra's chief conductor from 1907 to 1922. He gave the orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to the orchestra. Under the direction of conductor Neeme Järvi from 1982-2004, the orchestra made a series of international tours as well as a hundred disc recordings and established themselves among Europe's leading orchestras. In 1996, the Swedish Riksdag appointed the Gothenburg Symphony as Sweden's National Orchestra. In recent decades, the orchestra has had prominent chief conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mario Venzago and Gustavo Dudamel, following Kent Nagano as Principal Guest conductor. Anna-Karin Larsson is CEO and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel honorary conductor and Neeme Järvi chief conductor emeritus. The orchestra's owner is the Västra Götaland Region. The Gothenburg Symphony works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

Emilia Hoving has emerged as one of the most exciting young Finnish conductors today. In 2025/26, Hoving begins her three-year tenure as Associate Conductor with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, she makes her debut with the Bamberg Symphony and with the Hallé Orchestra, and returns to conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony, Malmo Symphony, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In 2025 she also made her mainstage opera debut, conducting Opera North in several performances of The Magic Flute. Emilia Hoving conducted the final concert at Side by Side in 2025 and 2024 and the school concert Bubblor at the Gothenburg Symphony in 2023. In the summer of 2022, she made her Tokyo debut at Suntory Hall as conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony and her UK debut at the Philharmonia, where she has now become a regular guest. Hoving has conducted many works by living (especially Finnish) composers and gave the Australian premiere of Missy Mazzoli's Procession at the Adelaide Festival. Hoving studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Sakari Oramo, Atso Almila and Jorma Panula. She received the Finnish Critics' Prize in 2021 as best newcomer and was an assistant to Hannu Lintu at Finnish Radio (2019) and to Mikko Franck at Radio France (2020-22).

Marjolein Vermeeren successfully made her professional conducting debut with the Gothenburg Wind Orchestra in 2022. She has worked as a guest conductor with several professional orchestras since then, such as Östgötamusiken, Gotlands Musikstiftelse, Marinens Musikkår and Norrköpings Symphony Orchestra. In the 2025-2026 season, she will return to the Gothenburg Wind Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. Marjolein Vermeeren is also a flutist in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. She grew up in the southern Netherlands, where wind music is of great importance, and has worked with youth orchestras and participated for several years at the Side by Side music camp as a conductor and instructor for the oldest participants. Vermeeren is educated at the Tilburg Academy of Music, the Netherlands, and has studied flute at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has also continued her conducting education by studying with Glenn Mossop in Stockholm.

The Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble (GSVE) was formed in 2016 and consists of 12 professional singers. The ensemble works both as part of the Gothenburg Symphony Choir in major symphonic works performed together with the Gothenburg Symphony, and as an independent ensemble under the direction of Katie Thomas. GSVE is a group of experienced and versatile singers, who perform varied programs and explore a wide repertoire, from medieval music to newly commissioned works. The ensemble has previously collaborated with, among others, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Barockakademin Göteborgs Symfoniker and performs regular vocal programs both in Gothenburg's Concert Hall and around the Västra Götaland region.

Birgitta Mannerström-Molin is a choir conductor and singing teacher. She also teaches at the University of Stage and Music in Gothenburg and is involved as a course instructor and choir conductor at national level. She has also been involved in the development of El Sistema in Sweden and is the conductor and artistic advisor for Side by Side by El Sistema, which is performed every year by the Gothenburg Symphony. In 2016, Birgitta Mannerström-Molin was appointed Children's and Youth Choir leader of the Year. She is also a teacher at Hvitfeldtska Musikgymnasiet and project leader for young people at Sweden's Church Song Association.

Katie Thomas is a choral conductor from Wales and since 2023 the choirmaster of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. She is also the conductor and artistic director of the Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble. Previous engagements include nine years as a voice coach for the BBC Chorus, assignments as a guest choirmaster and conductor with the BBC Singers, MDR Rundfunkchor, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the Junior Royal College of Music, as well as a guest lecturer in choral conducting and director of the chamber choir at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Gothenburg. She has been a teacher of choral conducting techniques at the Association of British Choral Directors and a judge at choral festivals worldwide within the organization Interkultur. As a professional soprano, Katie Thomas has been engaged with the UK's leading choirs, such as the Monteverdi Choir under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Polyphony and the Academy of Ancient Music. She has appeared in major concert venues in Europe and the USA, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Musikverein Vienna and Carnegie Hall in New York. Together with London Voices, she has recorded several soundtracks for films and video games, often at the renowned Abbey Road Studios, as well as concerts for both television and radio. Katie Thomas is a graduate of Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2020, she was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in the United Kingdom for outstanding contributions to professional music and significant achievements in conducting and choral music.

Ida Moberg (1859-1947) Orchestral Suite: Sunrise 1. Sunrise 2. Prelude - activity 3. Evening 4. Stillness For Finnish composer Ida Moberg, composing meant searching for the ultimate truths of life. Her philosophical and esoteric compositions often express an individual’s spiritual quest and inner transformation. The Sunrise orchestral suite (1907) is also an inner journey, where searching motifs alternate with mystical visions and silences. The evocation of nature serves as metaphors for meditation and for communicating with the universe. The first movement (Sunrise) is built on a wide range, from the ripple of a few notes to a soaring chorale-like completion – like a great spiritual awakening. Then we are guided through the day’s tasks and activities, leading up to the evening’s rest. Moberg conducted the premiere of the work in Viborg in 1908. She began her career as a singer and piano teacher, and only later did she train as a composer and conductor. She was a pioneer in theosophical and anthroposophical circles in Finland and is now also a queer icon. Susanna Välimäki

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2019-2020 season, Barbara Hannigan is Principal guest conductor. We are also a proud partner of Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium mentoring program focusing on young singers at the start of their careers. The title Principal Guest Conductor is shared by Pekka Kuusisto from 2025. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra's chief conductor from 1907 to 1922. He gave the orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to the orchestra. Under the direction of conductor Neeme Järvi from 1982-2004, the orchestra made a series of international tours as well as a hundred disc recordings and established themselves among Europe's leading orchestras. In 1996, the Swedish Riksdag appointed the Gothenburg Symphony as Sweden's National Orchestra. In recent decades, the orchestra has had prominent chief conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mario Venzago and Gustavo Dudamel, following Kent Nagano as Principal Guest conductor. Anna-Karin Larsson is CEO and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel honorary conductor and Neeme Järvi chief conductor emeritus. The orchestra's owner is the Västra Götaland Region. The Gothenburg Symphony works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

The Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble (GSVE) was formed in 2016 and consists of 12 professional singers. The ensemble works both as part of the Gothenburg Symphony Choir in major symphonic works performed together with the Gothenburg Symphony, and as an independent ensemble under the direction of Katie Thomas. GSVE is a group of experienced and versatile singers, who perform varied programs and explore a wide repertoire, from medieval music to newly commissioned works. The ensemble has previously collaborated with, among others, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Barockakademin Göteborgs Symfoniker and performs regular vocal programs both in Gothenburg's Concert Hall and around the Västra Götaland region.

Ida Moberg (1859-1947) Orchestral Suite: Sunrise 1. Sunrise 2. Prelude - activity 3. Evening 4. Stillness For Finnish composer Ida Moberg, composing meant searching for the ultimate truths of life. Her philosophical and esoteric compositions often express an individual’s spiritual quest and inner transformation. The Sunrise orchestral suite (1907) is also an inner journey, where searching motifs alternate with mystical visions and silences. The evocation of nature serves as metaphors for meditation and for communicating with the universe. The first movement (Sunrise) is built on a wide range, from the ripple of a few notes to a soaring chorale-like completion – like a great spiritual awakening. Then we are guided through the day’s tasks and activities, leading up to the evening’s rest. Moberg conducted the premiere of the work in Viborg in 1908. She began her career as a singer and piano teacher, and only later did she train as a composer and conductor. She was a pioneer in theosophical and anthroposophical circles in Finland and is now also a queer icon. Susanna Välimäki

The Gothenburg Symphony was formed in 1905 and today consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra's base is Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen that has gathered music lovers since 1935. Since the 2019-2020 season, Barbara Hannigan is Principal guest conductor. We are also a proud partner of Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium mentoring program focusing on young singers at the start of their careers. The title Principal Guest Conductor is shared by Pekka Kuusisto from 2025. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra's chief conductor from 1907 to 1922. He gave the orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to the orchestra. Under the direction of conductor Neeme Järvi from 1982-2004, the orchestra made a series of international tours as well as a hundred disc recordings and established themselves among Europe's leading orchestras. In 1996, the Swedish Riksdag appointed the Gothenburg Symphony as Sweden's National Orchestra. In recent decades, the orchestra has had prominent chief conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mario Venzago and Gustavo Dudamel, following Kent Nagano as Principal Guest conductor. Anna-Karin Larsson is CEO and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel honorary conductor and Neeme Järvi chief conductor emeritus. The orchestra's owner is the Västra Götaland Region. The Gothenburg Symphony works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

Swedish conductor Johannes Gustavsson works regularly with all major Nordic orchestras, being in demand as an interpreter of extensive symphonic and operatic repertoire. He established close relationships with orchestras such as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Swedish Opera, and the Gothenburg Opera. The soloists he often performs with include Janine Jansen, Peter Jablonski, Martin Fröst, Nina Stemme, Vikingur Olafsson, Olli Mustonen, Isbelle van Keulen, Torleif Thedeen, Guy Braunstein, and many others. He has a over 20 year partnership with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, which to date includes almost 40 concerts and countless days in the recording studio. He has held senior conducting posts at the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, the Västerås Sinfonietta, the Nordic Chamber Orchestra, and was chief conductor at the Wermland Opera and at the Oulu Symphony Orchestra until 2021. As a champion of new music, he is dedicated to ensuring that works of his contemporaries are heard in concert halls, and to date he has premiered over 50 orchestral works written in the 21st century. Since 2023 he is Artistic director of Jönköping's Sinfonietta. His recordings includes world premiere of Valborg Aulin’s Tableaux Parisiens for Nilento Records, and Anders Eliasson’s Double Concerto and Sinfonia per Archi with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra for the CPO label. He has recorded for Dacapo with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, for Ondine with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (works by Jón Nordal) andthe Oulu Symphony Orchestra (works by Uuno Klami and Einar Englung), to name a few. He was prizewinner at the Solti Conducting Competition in Frankfurt and the Toscanini Competition in Parma, and the first artist to be awarded both the Swedish Conductor’s Prize and the Herbert Blomstedt Award. Originally trained as a violist, his strong passion for conducting led him to study conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Ole Kristian Ruud and Olav Anton Thommessen, and with the great Finnish conductor Jorma Panula.

Sara Trobäck has been Principal concertmaster of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra since 2002. She studied with Tibor Fülep at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and with György Pauk at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In connection with her graduation concert in 2001, she received the academy's prestigious Professional Diploma and the Dove Award. Sara Trobäck has also participated in master classes with Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Ruggiero Ricci and Joshua Bell. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the Stockholm Sinfonietta and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2010, she premiered a violin concerto by Johannes Jansson dedicated to her and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Her London debut took place in the summer of 1999 when she performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the London Soloists in St Martin-in-the-Fields. Sara Trobäck has also given concerts in Scotland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and China. In 2002 she formed Trio Poseidon together with solo cellist Claes Gunnarsson and pianist Per Lundberg. The trio has among other things recorded Beethoven's Triple Concerto. Sara Trobäck plays a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini on loan from the Järnåker Foundation.