Symphony and Chamber Orchestras
Each of Sweden's 25 counties has at least one symphony or chamber
orchestra supported by the county council. There are a few orchestras that
receive their money directly from the government. The oldest of them is the
Royal Opera House Orchestra in Stockholm, established around 1900. Other
examles of comparatively 'old' symphony orchestras are those in Göteborg,
Stockholm,
Norrköping and Malmö.
The
Symphony Orchestra of the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation was formed as
late as 1967. Additional chamber orchestras can be found in Oskarshamn,
Västerås and Örebro. They usually perform in their respective
regions. In 1990, more than 10 000 performances supported by the county
councils were held. It is estimated that about one million people attended the
performances. At the same time, professional symphony and chamber orchestras
gave about 1 000 concerts and had an audience of some 600 000 people. In
addition to the large, professional orchestras there are numerous small ones.
Although their members largely consist of amateurs, they often have professonal
leaders, and they sometimes invite renowned musicans for guest performances.
Choirs
Singing in a choir is a very popular form of social and cultural
activity in Sweden. It is estimated that there are about 600 000 active choir
singers, which is quite a lot considering the small population in Sweden. Many
choirs are organized by a church congregation. Mostly they perform at services
and at evening performances. Besides, churches are often used as concert halls
for 'secular' music.
At the local level, municipal music schools play an important part
in musical life and many Swedish children attend them. Adults who want to learn
how to play an instrument may instead join a study circle, which also are
subsidized by the government.
Folk Music & Jazz
A fairly limited number of jazz, rock and folk music groups
receive grants from the government. There is a national organization for folk
music, the Federation of Swedish Folk Musicans (Sveriges spelmäns
riksförbund). In the summertime there are special festivals for folk
music.
In many cities there are jazz clubs with jazz music of usually
high quality. If you happen to be in Stockholm you should try "Fashing", a very
good club with many international guest performances. During summer, there are
several jazz festivals in various parts of Sweden.
Jazz Web is a source of
information about jazz in Sweden
Rock and Pop - a Swedish Export
Since the 80's, Swedish rock and pop music has been quite
successful internationally and groups like Roxette, Europe, ABBA, Stakka Bo, Dr Alban and
Ace of Base are taking joyrides on pop-charts
all over the world.
ABBA made its breakthrough in 1974 with the song"Waterloo".
Afterwards they produced hit after hit. ABBA paved the way for many other
Swedish rock bands, the most successful of which, so far, has been Roxette.
In connection to pop and rock music, a mention should be made of
a Swedish institution - the People´s Park. You´ll find one in
almost every town and during the summer, a lot of concerts are taking place in
these amusement parks.
The Hultsfred Festival in the province of Småland is the
largest and most famous of the music festivals. Several kinds of music are
represented and you can listen to both Swedish and international artists.
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