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Hans Davidsson is an internationally active organist, church musician, researcher, author and consultant and artistic director of Gothenburg International Organ Academy. Since 2017 he is back in Gothenburg as organist in Älvsborg church. From 1986 he worked as a teacher of organ and church music at the Academy of Music at the University of Gothenburg and was appointed professor in 1988. He has also taught at the Eastman School of Music 2000-2012, the Hochschule för Künste in Bremen 2006-2013 and the Royal Danish Music Conservatory in Copenhagen in 2011 -2018. Among Hans Davidsson's many recordings are all organ works by Matthias Weckman, Georg Böhm, Dietrich Buxtehude and Felix Mendelssohn's Six Sonatas (Loft). Hans Davidsson was a driving force in the construction of the new Rieger organ in Gothenburg's Concert Hall, which was inaugurated in 2021.

Mezzo-soprano Maria Forsström moves naturally between the symphonic repertoire, oratorios and intimate chamber music. With her background in church music, she is often hired as a soloist in Baroque music, but she is just as happy to sing the great late Romantic music such as Brahms' Altrapsodie and Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and newly written works. She has recorded for Musica Rediviva, Sony Classical, Chandos Records and BIS. Since 2014, she has visited the Oxford Lieder Festival several times with pianist Matti Hirvonen and toured with Schubert's Winterreise together with Bengt Forsberg. Maria Forsström also commissions new music for mezzo, marimba, organ and piano for her chamber music trio, including in collaboration with Nobel Prize winner Louise Glück. She has sung with orchestras such as Musica Aeterna, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and with conductors such as Teodor Currentzis, Christoph Eschenbach, Edward Gardner, Masaaki Suzuki and Jacek Kaspszyk.

Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) Galántai táncok Ancient Hungarian peasant music, still unchanged in the villages, began to be recorded by Zoltán Kodály and Bartók around 1905. Both composers were captivated by the unique Romani verbunkos music. In the small Slovak town of Galánta, fifty kilometers from Bratislava, next to the train line between Vienna and Budapest, there was a famous Romani music chapel that gave Kodály his earliest taste for orchestral sound. Dances from Galánta were written in 1933 for the 80th anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic. The instrumentation for double flutes (plus piccolo), oboes, A-clarinets, bassoons, plus four horns, timpani, snare drum, glockenspiel, triangle and strings imitated such a verbunkos band with a solo clarinet in the lead role as the Romani tárogáto. The story goes that the Galánta pieces were originally composed during Hungary's struggle for independence under Turkish occupation. Verbunkos music began to be published in sheet music in the late 18th century, not least in Vienna, where both Mozart and Schubert were strongly influenced by it. Kodály uses the slow verbunkos introduction as a rondo theme in the following four dances as well as in the great final coda. It alone takes up more than half the length of the piece. As a respected professor at the Budapest Academy of Music and president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and later an honorary doctor in Oxford and Berlin, Kodály would promote the importance of spontaneous folk music. This liberal orientation also permeated key earlier works such as the Háry János Suite of 1927 and the Dances from Marosszék of 1933, both of which, along with the Galánta Dances, were his most frequently performed works.

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Violin Concerto Mässig bewegte Halbe Langsam Lebhaft Before Paul Hindemith got his breake through as a composer, he was renowned as a skilled instrumentalist on the violin and later also on the viola and viola d’amore. His interest in these instruments was evident early on in his Bach-inspired Kammermusik from the 1920s, in which both the viola and the viola d’amore act as soloists. Despite this, Hindemith wrote only one violin concerto with full orchestra, a work that is usually pointed out as his best both for violin and in concert form, from 1939. The year before, in 1938, he left Germany because his wife had Jewish roots. When the violin concerto had its world premiere in Amsterdam in 1940, not long before the Nazis entered Holland, Hindemith and his wife were already in the United States. Over the next few decades, the concerto was performed regularly, but has since lost some of its popularity. Despite the troubled circumstances surrounding its creation, the violin concerto is an energetic and lively work. It is virtuosic, urbane, and encompasses everything from grandeur to lyrical intimacy.

Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904) Symphony No. 8 Op 88 A few years before Antonín Dvorák left for America, the Eighth Symphony grew during long walks in the woods and fields. The Eighth Symphony is the result of a conscious search for peace and harmony. When the storm sometimes roars for the sake of contrast, it only blows away the dry leaves and brings fresh air with it. It is a happily smiling music, a simple, folk fiddler's music that deviates from the strict symphonic traditions. The first movement begins with a sonorous cello theme that then returns twice during the movement; in the introduction to the development and in the recapitulation. The movement closely follows the sonata form despite the great changes in emotion. The slow movement is an adagio in C minor that is built up from a string of beautiful episodes. Then follows a graceful and elastic waltz before the finale once again presents a short introduction consisting of a trumpet solo. This solo also recurs a few times, including as a pianissimo accompaniment to solo flute and played by trumpets and horns. An outward-looking coda concludes the symphony. On 2 February 1890, this G major symphony was premiered with the composer himself conducting the National Theatre Orchestra in Prague, and he also conducted performances in London and Frankfurt shortly afterwards. The symphony would soon triumph around the world, and alongside the Ninth Symphony (From the New World), written in America, it became the most beloved of his symphonies. The symphony was dedicated to the "Bohemian Franz Joseph Academy for the Promotion of Art and Literature", in thanks for Dvorák becoming its honorary member.

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.

Jaime Martín is Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2022. He has also been Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 2019 and Chief Conductor of Ireland's RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. He was Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Gävle Symphony Orchestra 2013-2022. In Spain, he holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra. Highlights of recent seasons have included debuts with the Dallas and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras and the Dresden Philharmonic, an extensive tour of the UK with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, and his debut performance as a conductor at the BBC Proms with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has also guested with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Royal Swedish Philharmonic, the Queensland Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon. His discography includes Mozart's wind concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra, a series for Ondine Records with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra including Brahms' Serenades, Brahms' choral works with the Eric Ericsons Chamber Choir, and works by Swedish composer Melcher Melchers. Before taking on full-time conducting in 2013, Martín was principal flautist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English National Opera, Academy of St Martin in the Fields and London Philharmonic Orchestra, and a sought-after soloist.

Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) Galántai táncok Ancient Hungarian peasant music, still unchanged in the villages, began to be recorded by Zoltán Kodály and Bartók around 1905. Both composers were captivated by the unique Romani verbunkos music. In the small Slovak town of Galánta, fifty kilometers from Bratislava, next to the train line between Vienna and Budapest, there was a famous Romani music chapel that gave Kodály his earliest taste for orchestral sound. Dances from Galánta were written in 1933 for the 80th anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic. The instrumentation for double flutes (plus piccolo), oboes, A-clarinets, bassoons, plus four horns, timpani, snare drum, glockenspiel, triangle and strings imitated such a verbunkos band with a solo clarinet in the lead role as the Romani tárogáto. The story goes that the Galánta pieces were originally composed during Hungary's struggle for independence under Turkish occupation. Verbunkos music began to be published in sheet music in the late 18th century, not least in Vienna, where both Mozart and Schubert were strongly influenced by it. Kodály uses the slow verbunkos introduction as a rondo theme in the following four dances as well as in the great final coda. It alone takes up more than half the length of the piece. As a respected professor at the Budapest Academy of Music and president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and later an honorary doctor in Oxford and Berlin, Kodály would promote the importance of spontaneous folk music. This liberal orientation also permeated key earlier works such as the Háry János Suite of 1927 and the Dances from Marosszék of 1933, both of which, along with the Galánta Dances, were his most frequently performed works.

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Violin Concerto Mässig bewegte Halbe Langsam Lebhaft Before Paul Hindemith got his breake through as a composer, he was renowned as a skilled instrumentalist on the violin and later also on the viola and viola d’amore. His interest in these instruments was evident early on in his Bach-inspired Kammermusik from the 1920s, in which both the viola and the viola d’amore act as soloists. Despite this, Hindemith wrote only one violin concerto with full orchestra, a work that is usually pointed out as his best both for violin and in concert form, from 1939. The year before, in 1938, he left Germany because his wife had Jewish roots. When the violin concerto had its world premiere in Amsterdam in 1940, not long before the Nazis entered Holland, Hindemith and his wife were already in the United States. Over the next few decades, the concerto was performed regularly, but has since lost some of its popularity. Despite the troubled circumstances surrounding its creation, the violin concerto is an energetic and lively work. It is virtuosic, urbane, and encompasses everything from grandeur to lyrical intimacy.

Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904) Symphony No. 8 Op 88 A few years before Antonín Dvorák left for America, the Eighth Symphony grew during long walks in the woods and fields. The Eighth Symphony is the result of a conscious search for peace and harmony. When the storm sometimes roars for the sake of contrast, it only blows away the dry leaves and brings fresh air with it. It is a happily smiling music, a simple, folk fiddler's music that deviates from the strict symphonic traditions. The first movement begins with a sonorous cello theme that then returns twice during the movement; in the introduction to the development and in the recapitulation. The movement closely follows the sonata form despite the great changes in emotion. The slow movement is an adagio in C minor that is built up from a string of beautiful episodes. Then follows a graceful and elastic waltz before the finale once again presents a short introduction consisting of a trumpet solo. This solo also recurs a few times, including as a pianissimo accompaniment to solo flute and played by trumpets and horns. An outward-looking coda concludes the symphony. On 2 February 1890, this G major symphony was premiered with the composer himself conducting the National Theatre Orchestra in Prague, and he also conducted performances in London and Frankfurt shortly afterwards. The symphony would soon triumph around the world, and alongside the Ninth Symphony (From the New World), written in America, it became the most beloved of his symphonies. The symphony was dedicated to the "Bohemian Franz Joseph Academy for the Promotion of Art and Literature", in thanks for Dvorák becoming its honorary member.

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.

Jaime Martín is Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2022. He has also been Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 2019 and Chief Conductor of Ireland's RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. He was Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Gävle Symphony Orchestra 2013-2022. In Spain, he holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra. Highlights of recent seasons have included debuts with the Dallas and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras and the Dresden Philharmonic, an extensive tour of the UK with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, and his debut performance as a conductor at the BBC Proms with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has also guested with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Royal Swedish Philharmonic, the Queensland Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon. His discography includes Mozart's wind concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra, a series for Ondine Records with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra including Brahms' Serenades, Brahms' choral works with the Eric Ericsons Chamber Choir, and works by Swedish composer Melcher Melchers. Before taking on full-time conducting in 2013, Martín was principal flautist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English National Opera, Academy of St Martin in the Fields and London Philharmonic Orchestra, and a sought-after soloist.

Hans Davidsson is an internationally active organist, church musician, researcher, author and consultant and artistic director of Gothenburg International Organ Academy. Since 2017 he is back in Gothenburg as organist in Älvsborg church. From 1986 he worked as a teacher of organ and church music at the Academy of Music at the University of Gothenburg and was appointed professor in 1988. He has also taught at the Eastman School of Music 2000-2012, the Hochschule för Künste in Bremen 2006-2013 and the Royal Danish Music Conservatory in Copenhagen in 2011 -2018. Among Hans Davidsson's many recordings are all organ works by Matthias Weckman, Georg Böhm, Dietrich Buxtehude and Felix Mendelssohn's Six Sonatas (Loft). Hans Davidsson was a driving force in the construction of the new Rieger organ in Gothenburg's Concert Hall, which was inaugurated in 2021.

Mezzo-soprano Maria Forsström moves naturally between the symphonic repertoire, oratorios and intimate chamber music. With her background in church music, she is often hired as a soloist in Baroque music, but she is just as happy to sing the great late Romantic music such as Brahms' Altrapsodie and Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and newly written works. She has recorded for Musica Rediviva, Sony Classical, Chandos Records and BIS. Since 2014, she has visited the Oxford Lieder Festival several times with pianist Matti Hirvonen and toured with Schubert's Winterreise together with Bengt Forsberg. Maria Forsström also commissions new music for mezzo, marimba, organ and piano for her chamber music trio, including in collaboration with Nobel Prize winner Louise Glück. She has sung with orchestras such as Musica Aeterna, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and with conductors such as Teodor Currentzis, Christoph Eschenbach, Edward Gardner, Masaaki Suzuki and Jacek Kaspszyk.

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.

Cellist Johan Stern is principal conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and teaches cello, chamber music and orchestral playing at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and at the Juilliard School in New York. As a member of Gageego!, the Gothenburg Ensemble for New Music, he has premiered several solo works by our leading Nordic composers. Johan Stern has participated in a number of international festivals and as a soloist and chamber musician has performed with figures such as Bobby McFerrin, Edward Gardner, Petri Sakari, Kristjan Järvi, Daniel Müller-Schott and Levon Chilingirian. During his studies at Juilliard, he had the privilege of collaborating with several internationally renowned musical figures, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and composers Elliott Carter and John Cage.

Soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony since 2019. Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, Barbara Hannigan's pioneering work was rewarded with the Polar Muisc Prize 2025. Her artistic colleagues include John Zorn, Krszysztof Warlikowski, Simon Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Kent Nagano, Vladimir Jurowski, Andreas Kriegenburg, Andris Nelsons, Esa Pekka Salonen, Christoph Marthaler, Antonio Pappano, Katie Mitchell, and Kirill Petrenko. The late conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw has been an extraordinary influence and inspiration on her development as a musician. The Grammy Award winning Canadian musician has shown a profound commitment to the music of our time and has given the world première performances of nearly 100 new creations. Hannigan has collaborated extensively with composers including Boulez, Zorn, Dutilleux, Ligeti, di Castri, Stockhausen, Khayam, Sciarrino, Barry, Dusapin, Dean, Benjamin and Abrahamsen. A passionate musician of unique and courageous choices, Hannigan is renowned for creating innovative orchestral programs, combining new and older repertoire. In recent years she has been conducting world class orchestras including the Concertgebouw and Cleveland Orchestras, Montreal Symphony, Rome's Accademmia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, has ongoing relationships with festivals including Aix en Provence and Spoleto, and has had starring soprano roles on opera stages including London's Covent Garden, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Paris Opera's Palais Garnier, New York's Lincoln Center, and the opera houses of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. The past few seasons have brought a new presentation of Poulenc's opera La Voix Humaine, and recent world premieres include Golfam Khayam's I am not a tale to be told with Iceland Symphony Orchestra, John Zorn's Split the Lark and Star Catcher, Zosha di Castri's In the Half Light with the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, new works by Sandström and Sciarrino, and a project with pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque inspired by the life and music of Hildegard von Bingen with new music from David Chalmin and Bryce Dessner. In the 2024-2025 season with the Gothenburg Symphony she performed the program Americana, which depicts USA in the making, as well as Mozart's Requiem and Berg's Violin Concerto with Veronica Eberle. She performed chamber music by Schönberg, Fauré and Chausson. She also guested London Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony, l'Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Kollegium Musicum WInterthur. In 2026 she will take the helm of Iceland Symphony Orchestra as their chief conductor and artistic director. Barbara’s commitment to the younger generation of musicians led her to create the mentoring initiatives Equilibrium Young Artists (2017), and Momentum: our Future Now (2020), both initiatives offering both guidance and performing opportunities to young professional artists. She was recently named the Reinbert de Leeuw Professor of Music at London's Royal Academy of Music and has been visiting professor at the Juilliard School in New York. On record, Barbara Hannigan’s fruitful relationship with Alpha Classics began in 2017 with the release of Crazy Girl Crazy, winning a Grammy and a Juno. More critically-acclaimed recordings followed, including Vienna: fin de siècle with pianist Reinbert de Leeuw, La Passione featuring works by Nono, Haydn and Grisey and Infinite Voyage, joining her colleagues of the Emerson String Quartet. In 2024 she released the ecstatic vocal works of Messiaen with pianist Bertrand Chamayou and a live recording of John Zorn’s compositions with pianist Stephen Gosling. Barbara Hannigan resides in Finistère, on the northwest coast of France.

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.

Soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony since 2019. Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, Barbara Hannigan's pioneering work was rewarded with the Polar Muisc Prize 2025. Her artistic colleagues include John Zorn, Krszysztof Warlikowski, Simon Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Kent Nagano, Vladimir Jurowski, Andreas Kriegenburg, Andris Nelsons, Esa Pekka Salonen, Christoph Marthaler, Antonio Pappano, Katie Mitchell, and Kirill Petrenko. The late conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw has been an extraordinary influence and inspiration on her development as a musician. The Grammy Award winning Canadian musician has shown a profound commitment to the music of our time and has given the world première performances of nearly 100 new creations. Hannigan has collaborated extensively with composers including Boulez, Zorn, Dutilleux, Ligeti, di Castri, Stockhausen, Khayam, Sciarrino, Barry, Dusapin, Dean, Benjamin and Abrahamsen. A passionate musician of unique and courageous choices, Hannigan is renowned for creating innovative orchestral programs, combining new and older repertoire. In recent years she has been conducting world class orchestras including the Concertgebouw and Cleveland Orchestras, Montreal Symphony, Rome's Accademmia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, has ongoing relationships with festivals including Aix en Provence and Spoleto, and has had starring soprano roles on opera stages including London's Covent Garden, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Paris Opera's Palais Garnier, New York's Lincoln Center, and the opera houses of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. The past few seasons have brought a new presentation of Poulenc's opera La Voix Humaine, and recent world premieres include Golfam Khayam's I am not a tale to be told with Iceland Symphony Orchestra, John Zorn's Split the Lark and Star Catcher, Zosha di Castri's In the Half Light with the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, new works by Sandström and Sciarrino, and a project with pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque inspired by the life and music of Hildegard von Bingen with new music from David Chalmin and Bryce Dessner. In the 2024-2025 season with the Gothenburg Symphony she performed the program Americana, which depicts USA in the making, as well as Mozart's Requiem and Berg's Violin Concerto with Veronica Eberle. She performed chamber music by Schönberg, Fauré and Chausson. She also guested London Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony, l'Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Kollegium Musicum WInterthur. In 2026 she will take the helm of Iceland Symphony Orchestra as their chief conductor and artistic director. Barbara’s commitment to the younger generation of musicians led her to create the mentoring initiatives Equilibrium Young Artists (2017), and Momentum: our Future Now (2020), both initiatives offering both guidance and performing opportunities to young professional artists. She was recently named the Reinbert de Leeuw Professor of Music at London's Royal Academy of Music and has been visiting professor at the Juilliard School in New York. On record, Barbara Hannigan’s fruitful relationship with Alpha Classics began in 2017 with the release of Crazy Girl Crazy, winning a Grammy and a Juno. More critically-acclaimed recordings followed, including Vienna: fin de siècle with pianist Reinbert de Leeuw, La Passione featuring works by Nono, Haydn and Grisey and Infinite Voyage, joining her colleagues of the Emerson String Quartet. In 2024 she released the ecstatic vocal works of Messiaen with pianist Bertrand Chamayou and a live recording of John Zorn’s compositions with pianist Stephen Gosling. Barbara Hannigan resides in Finistère, on the northwest coast of France.

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.

Santtu-Matias Rouvali was Chief Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in the years 2017-2025. Since 2021, he is Chief conductor of Philharmonia Orchestra and also honorary conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra back home in Finland. He collaborates with top-level orchestras and soloists across Europe, including the Münchner Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchester Philharmonique de Radio France, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He also works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. International soloists with whom Rouvali plays are Bruce Liu, Lisa Batiashvili, Seong-Jin Cho, Nicola Benedetti, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nemanja Radulovic, Stephen Hough, Augustin Hadelich, Nikolai Lugansky, Christian Tetzlaff, Gil Shaham, Baiba Skride, Ava Bahari and Arabella Steinbacher. During his long tenure with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Rouvali performed over 100 concerts in the Great Hall and made over 30 recordings and live concerts for the digital concert hall GSOplay. His collaboration with the orchestra included successful tours in the Nordic countries, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as a five-volume Sibelius recording with the Alpha Classics label. The releases have been acclaimed with awards such as the Gramophone Editor's Choice award, Choc de Classica, the prestigious French Diapason d'Or 'Découverte', and the Radio Classiques 'TROPHÉE'. Santtu-Matias Rouvali also has an extensive record label with Philharmonia Records.

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.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Violin Concerto E minor Allegro molto appassionato Andante Allegretto non troppo. Allegro molto vivace Felix Mendelssohn came from a German-Jewish family and as a composer strove to reconcile issues of spirituality and religious tolerance within society, and within himself. The Violin Concerto in E minor was written for the soloist Ferdinand David. However, the wait was six years before the premiere could take place in Leipzig on March 13, 1845 with David and the Gewandhaus Orchestra. New was the transition to the second movement without a break, as well as the fact that the soloist took up the opening theme, not the orchestra, and that a solo cadenza came already in the introduction - something that Sibelius and Tchaikovsky would also follow. The success was immediate. But in Nazi Germany, Mendelssohn's greatness was denied and his name was erased from public life.

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.

Santtu-Matias Rouvali was Chief Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in the years 2017-2025. Since 2021, he is Chief conductor of Philharmonia Orchestra and also honorary conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra back home in Finland. He collaborates with top-level orchestras and soloists across Europe, including the Münchner Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchester Philharmonique de Radio France, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He also works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. International soloists with whom Rouvali plays are Bruce Liu, Lisa Batiashvili, Seong-Jin Cho, Nicola Benedetti, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nemanja Radulovic, Stephen Hough, Augustin Hadelich, Nikolai Lugansky, Christian Tetzlaff, Gil Shaham, Baiba Skride, Ava Bahari and Arabella Steinbacher. During his long tenure with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Rouvali performed over 100 concerts in the Great Hall and made over 30 recordings and live concerts for the digital concert hall GSOplay. His collaboration with the orchestra included successful tours in the Nordic countries, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as a five-volume Sibelius recording with the Alpha Classics label. The releases have been acclaimed with awards such as the Gramophone Editor's Choice award, Choc de Classica, the prestigious French Diapason d'Or 'Découverte', and the Radio Classiques 'TROPHÉE'. Santtu-Matias Rouvali also has an extensive record label with Philharmonia Records.