Swedish Chamber Orchestra - 02/2011

The Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Örebro, founded in 1995, numbers 38 musicians. The orchestra is committed to developing the ‘surprising’ and ‘fresh’ sound ascribed to it and is constantly expanding its repertoire together with Thomas Dausgaard, its music director since 1997. The chamber-musical qualities that a smaller orchestra brings to its music making, even in works usually associated with the full-size symphony orchestra, can be experienced in the SCO’s symphony cycles of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms.

The SCO also pursues an active role in contemporary music, as exemplified by its long-standing collaboration with composer/conductor HK Gruber (artist-in residence since 2006). Two recent projects in partnership with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra are also noteworthy: a shared composer-in-residency for Karin Rehnqvist and Sally Beamish during the years 1998–2004 and a British/ Swedish composer competition. To increase its versatility the orchestra has also established a long relationship with the baroque violinist and conductor Andrew Manze, and the internationally acclaimed violinist Nikolaj Znaider took up the position of principal guest conductor in the spring of 2009.

The SCO has been touring internationally since 1998, including performances at prestigious venues such as the Lincoln Center in New York, Cleveland Severance Hall, London Barbican, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Zurich Tonhalle, Munich Herkulessaal, Berlin and Vienna Konzerthaus. They have also appeared at major festivals such as the London Proms, both the London and New York Mostly Mozart Festivals, Chicago’s Ravinia Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival.

SEASON 2009/2010