Göteborgs Konserthus Light and love

Clara and Robert Schumann are the most brilliant pair of composers in the 19th century. But the relationship was not equal. While Robert composed, Clara had to stop practicing the piano which was the main livelihood of the large family because she was the best concert pianist in Europe. Love flourished anyway and despite the fact that they had to wait a long time to get married. The lyrics she chose to set to music here are a three-stage rocket of longing. After a poem about the Virgin Mary, she lets loose: “Leave the dream, leave the doubt!”, “Don't resist the kiss! Come to me!” Robert Schumann's music is the most famous today. At times he struggled with inner demons, perhaps a feminine side he didn't want to acknowledge? The texts he set to music are often written from a female perspective, but written by men. In the choirs we meet the popular female models men have dictated all since the Roman Empire. First the abandoned virgin, then the experienced woman who is full of lust and cunning. Finally, we meet the nun on the glass mountain, locked up in a monastery.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Drei Lieder für Männerchor: Der eidgenossen Nachtwache – Freiheitslied - Schlachtgesang

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Romanzen für Frauenstimmen Tamburinschlägerin - Klosterfräulein - Soldatenbraut – Meerfey - Die Kapelle

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.

Katie Thomas is a British (Welsh) choral conductor. Since 2023 she is Chorus Director of the Gothenburg Symphony Choir as well as conductor and artistic director of the Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble. She is also a guest lecturer in choral conducting and leader of the chamber choir at the University of Theater and Music in Gothenburg. Previous engagements include nine years as voice coach for the BBC Chorus, freelance assignments as guest choir director and conductor at the BBC Singers, MDR Rundfunkchor, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the Junior Royal College of Music. She has been a teacher of choral conducting technique 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 involved with the UK's leading choirs, such as the Monteverdi Choir under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Polyphony and the Academy of Ancient Music. She has performed at major concert arenas in Europe and the USA, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Vienna and Carnegie Hall in New York. Together with London Voices, she has recorded several soundtracks for film and video games, often in the well-known Abbey Road Studios, as well as concerts for both television and radio.  Katie Thomas graduated from Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2020, she was appointed Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in the UK for outstanding contributions to professional music life and significant contributions to conducting and choral music.

Juan Zurutuza is a pianist trained in Mexico and the Netherlands. He studied with Rian de Waal at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague from 2001-2008. He has played solo and chamber music concerts with members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Scandinavia, Europe and North America. Since 2022, Juan Zurutuza is pianist in the Gothenburg Symphony. He is currently studying with pianist Robert Durso, thanks to several scholarships received from GS Vänner, the Marianne & Ary Paley Scholarship Fund, the Eduard Magnus Music Fund and the Mary von Sydows Donation Fund.