Vox Pacis Performanceconsert
will be held in Sofia Church, Stockholm 27 - 28 august 2010Vox Pacis - The Voice of Peace was conceived from a desire to create a meetng of cultural and spiritual understanding and to create a dialogue. After recent inflamed conflicts that have taken place and new conflicts that continue to plague Mother Earth, recently accentuated by the so-called “Mohammed cartoons”, the thought arose: Can a cultural meeting build bridges in the hearts of mankind in order to find new openings that reunite? Can the most sacred within every culture and individual meet a oneness with “The Other”?
We believe that through the medium of music, and with the composer´s range of vision, we can seek to find paths that are open and not closed. If different voices and choirs can unite on a physical and metaphysical level and make the impossible possible, then we will have achieved something
The concept is both musically and conceptually challenging. How can one, musically, weave together voices and choirs from different traditons without one becoming dominant at the others cost? How can one create this miracle? Can individuality and uniqueness meet? We wish to investigate this further during the process of realizing Vox Pacis.2008 has been designated by the European Union as the Year of Cultural Diversity. The Olympic Games in Beijing will also take place. In short, 2008 will be a year of important international meetings, so why not add
Vox Pacis to this list, since it is a truly internatonal musical festtval.
The Choral Work: will be divided into two parts:Part 1 will consist of choir singers from each of the choirs represented, who will sing their “favorite hymns” to be rhythmically coordinated by the artistic director, the conductor and the leaders of the respective choir. Various soloists and instrumentalists will also perform.Part 2 will consist of the performing of a specially commissioned choral work (20 minutes of duration) where all the represented religions´ song techniques will be reflected in a unite composition.
The non-governmental and non-commercial association Vox Pacis is financially and formally responsible for the concept and the choral concert and work “Vox Pacis”.
The organization code is 802409-1608. The seat of Vox Pacis is Stockholm, Sweden.
Vox Pacis started in Sweden but has connections internationally and is part of networks like the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, seated in Alexandria, Egypt. Vox Pacis is the only Swedish organization that has received allowance from the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation during 2007.
The aim of the activities of Vox Pacis is to work for peace in terms of music, creativity and ecumenism in order to inspire an interactive, cultural dialogue and new creativity within music and the arts.
Furthermore Stockholm has a tradition of active ecumenical and international cooperation. Alfred Nobel - Nathan Söderblom - Dag Hammarskjöld - are some of the Swedes who have devoted their work to peace and understanding in an ecumenical spirit.
Vox Pacis thinks that time has come to commemorate their ideas and to promote the creation of an international choral concert, Vox Pacis, to make these ideas come alive to-day in the name of peace.
Nathan Söderblom a Swedish archbishop, author and musician, was the first person to organize the big international ecumenical meeting that was held in Stockholm in 1925. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1930.
Dag Hammarskjöld a Swedish diplomat, author and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1961, was the Secretary General of the UN and with a strong pathos in his work for international issues in the perspective of peace.
Festival-program august 21st – 29th 2010
Saturday aug 21
At 3 pm Sofia church Word of Welcome by Vox Pacis artistic director Gunilla Nordlund and Vicar Hans Ulfvebrand.
Sami concert with Sámi Sound from Northern Norway, with Indian, Tibetan and Swedish guests.
Sunday aug 22
at 11 am Sofia church Service with Sami, Indian and Swedish participation. Priest: Marie-Louise Riise
at 2 pm Vintertullen with Sami and Asian artists.
at 4 pm Sofia church Concert; Words of Realness. A work of poetry by Spoon Jackson, life sentenced prisoner in California. Music by Stefan Säfsten, with Järva Röster, Rebecca Davant, mezzosopran, Stockholm Concert Orchestra, Nils Davant, recitation. Conductor: Stefan Säfsten.
at 5 pm Sofia parish hall Workshop; Sami yoik and a lecture on the history of the yoik, with Sami from Northern Norway. Sami yoik: Berit Alette Mienna, Marie Kvernemo Valkeapää and Østein Hanssen.
Tuesday aug 24
at 8 pm Sofia church Milarepa – Rumi – Dalai Lama. Concert with Loten Namling, world famous Tibetan artist and the Persian singer Anis Moin , with musicians.
Wednesday aug 25
at 2 pm Sofia parish hall Yuzhnyi Glas (The voices of the south) Russian/Moldovan ensemble. Tibetan, Jewish and Sami participation
Friday aug 27
at 8 pm Sofia church Opening night - Vox Pacis – concert performance; soloists, dancers,
choirs and musicians from 12 different cultures and 8 religions. For the first time ever, a Chinese and a Tibetan artist perform together!
The concert performance ends with the peace cantata; A Challenge to Humanity
Composer: Ylva Q Arkvik. Lyricist: Sigrid Kahle. Director/ Artistic director: Gunilla Nordlund.
Sofia vocal ensemble. Conductor; Bengt Ollén. Vox Pacis part 1; Conductor; Jonas Dominique. (Entrance fee)
Saturday aug 28
at 2 pm Viksjö church Concert; Sámi Sound; Sami yoik and nordic kulning, with Sami
artists from Northern Norway. Organized by Viksjö church.
at 3 pm Sofia church Abrahamic concert. A meeting between singers and musicians from
the Abrahamic religions – Jews, Christians –Russian Orthodox, Copts - and Muslims.
Saturday aug 28
at 6 pm Sofia parish hall The Jewish mysticism associated with Christianity; Lecturer; Paul Heller, chazzan from the great Synagogue, with Gunnar Lindh, pastor of Högalids Parish. Coptic and Jewish songs.
at 8 pm Stallet Concert with Loten Namling, the Tibetan world artist/singer.With musicians and guests. Mr.Namling creates his concerts in a personal expression, influenced by great poets of Tibet and the sacred Tibetan traditions of culture. Mr.Namling works closely with the H.H. Dalai Lama. Organized by Stallet (Entr. fee ).
Sunday aug 29
at 11 am Sofia church Peace prayer/service; Religion vigor. Anders Hedman of the Church of Fryshuset, with young adults who participated in an interreligious trip to
Etiophia. Songs performed by artists from Buddhist, Hindu, Russian Othodox, Coptic and Muslim traditions. Vicar Hans Ulfvebrand.
at 11 am Church of Högalid Service with Sami participation.
at 3 pm Sofia church Lecture; Can peace speak the language of religions and music?
Sigrid Kahle speaks about her views on the text of A Challenge to Humanity, two years after the first performance.
at 6 pm Sofia church - Vox Pacis – concert performance (see aug 27) ( Entrance fee).
Addresses; Sofia church – Vitabergsparken, Sofia parish hall - Borgmästargatan 11,
Vintertullen – Katarina bangata 80, Viksjö church – Agrargränd 2, Järfälla, Church of
Högalid – Högalidsparken. Stallet –Stallgat.7 All in the Stockholm area.
Tuesday oct 12
The Nobel museum Can culture convey peace?
On Dalai Lama and the Tibetan culture. Lecture on the H.H Dalai Lama and
the Nobel peace prize. With artistic director Gunilla Nordlund, Vox Pacis and
Rebecka Lettevall, associate professor of history and ideas at Södertörns Univ.
*The ticket for Vox Pacis concert performance on aug 27 and 29,
allows a 2 for the prize of 1 prize reduction, to the Dalai Lama exhibition at the Nobel
museum ( oct 7 – jan 7, 2011)
Subject to change
Choirs, Soloists, Musicians and Dancers with whom Vox Pacis has initiated a cooperation:
Choirs:
Ensemble David from Cairo/Egypt (coptic/Christianity)
Gnauers from Marrakech/Morocco (Sufi/Islam)
Veda/sanskrit‐choir from New Delhi, India (early Vedareligion).
”Nada”, The orient Art Group from Gaza/Palestine (Islam)
The Moran Choir, a girls´and women´s choir, Jerusalem, Israel (Judism).
The Tibetan Gyoto Monks, from Gyoto monastery, Dharamsala, Himalaya.
Tbilisi choir from Georgia.
Discantus a women´s ensemble from Paris/France, (Gregorian chant/Christianity).
Ortodox Singers from Tallinn/Estonia, (Russian Orthodox/Christianity)
Scala Jacobi from Tallinn/Stockholm, (Early mediaeval music/Christianity).
Serres Byzantine, Greek-orthodox choir from Serres/Thessaloniki, Greece.
Sami Jienat, choir from the Sami region in Sweden, Norway and Finland, singing Sami yoik and chorals.
Childrens and Youth Choirs from the Music schools ”Litle Academy”, but also choirs from the Church of Sweden in the area of Stockholm and from other congregations in Sweden ( in all approx, 300 persons).
Soloists singers:
.
Chime Arkhang, Tibetan high tone singer, living in Stockholm,
Pasang Dolma, sings in Tibetan, Hindi and Nepali, New Delhi/Dharamsala.
Håkan Starkenberg, opera singer, Stockholm, Sweden.
Victoria Hanna, Jerusalem, Israel.
Sister Marie Keyrouz, Maronite Church Lebanon, living in Paris.
Paul Heller, chazzan, the Jewish Synagogue, Stockholm, from Colombia
Sami Yosif, Moslem soloist, from Azerbajdzjan, living in London.
Veikko Kiiver, Gregorian singer, Tallinn, Estonia/ Stockholm, Sweden.
Anna Steinholtz, soloist, Stockholm, Sweden.
Shipra Nandy, solist from India, living and working in Stockholm
Chokri Mensi, African Moslem, singer and azan/prayer caller, Sweden/Tunisia.
Tibetan mask‐dancer from the Tibetan exile opera, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharamsala, India/Himalaya.
Virpi Pahkinen, Swedish‐Finnish soloist dancer, Stockholm
Orchestra:
Stockholms Läns Blãsarsymfoniker, The Swedish Wind Ensemble will participate during the performance of Vox Pacis.
”When the vision of Vox Pacis was born and materialized, I discovered that many persons were breeding similar thoughts, like ”War is primitive and no longer justifiable to civilized and democratic societies in the era of 2000” and ”We have to create art projects that can achieve at new forms and new ideas. – How can peace be visualized?” Many, many persons expressed their interest in taking part in this process. Together we have initiated Vox Pacis, a work for peace and freedom through music, which we hope will spread circles on the water, world! wide.” Gunilla Nordlund
The Artistic Direction of Vox Pacis
Gunilla Nordlund
Artistic director, stage director and initiator of Vox Pacis. She has been active since1983 in staging opera and theatre productions. To be mentioned here are “La Mama”, Ayra.Leena”, ”Runkärlek/Lover for Runes”, “Hemlig viskning/Secret whisper”.
She has worked as a teacher and a mentor in drama, film and art education. Her productions of musical dramas, choir concerts and oratorio have ajracted ajention since she has brought together songs, images and dances from various aboriginal cultures, like the Sami and the Tibetan, and given them modern forms of expression. Gunilla has in Sweden, Norway and India.
For many years has studied and worked with Tibetan opera and is currently preparing a documentary film about this form of opera and about Dalai Lama in exile in the Himalayas in India.
lva Q Arkvik
Composer, has in the first place composed instrumental music ranging from soloist parts to orchestras, but also some minor chamber operas and electro!acoustic works.
She is inspired by the encounter between different forms of expression and likes to work with other artists like sculptors, dancers and poets. With E. Runefelt, a poet, she created the chamber opera "Solitario" and with E. Ström, an author, the opera "Du får inte gå/You must not leave" on the theme of September 1th. Together with C. Östberg she has composed the music of the ballet "Den lysande kroppen/The shining body".
To her diploma from the composers education at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, she holds a degree as a piano teacher and as a cantor and she is an active chorister. Living in South America for some years has opened her mind to other musical trends than the European. A recent composition is“TidsgoÅNmmor/Hidden time” for two soloists, mixed voices, orchestra and electronic sound, the text specially wrijen by Runefelt, a work that was broadcasted in May 2006 on the Swedish National Radio (P2) and recorded on CD.
Jonas Dominique
Conductor, with a degree also as composer within many genres and a contrabass musician from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. He was invited to many places in the Nordic countries as a conductor
But most of all his work and spirit are connected with the Folk opera in Stockholm conducting operas such as ”Tosca”, ”Orpheo”, ”Romeo and Julieje”, ”The Love for Three Oranges ”, ”Batman” and ”The Abduction of the Seraglio”. At the Park theatre in Stockholm he has conducted ”Carmen” and ”The Masquerade Ball” and ”The Three penny Opera” at the Norrland opera in Umeå in northern Sweden. In the autumn of 2006 he conducted the ”Cosi fan tute” in Hanoi, Vietnam, a joint performance with the Norrland opera from Sweden. He is frequently engaged by The Swedish Wind Ensemble including also the production of a CD with Hindemith’s symphony for a wind band orchestra.
Jonas has been cooperating as well with the Stockholm Philharmonians as with the Radio Symphony orchestras.
Sigrid Kahle
Author, playwright, translator, culture journalist. Whenliving in Asia and the Middle East during periods of her life, she worked within theatre and tv as a playwright, producer, stage director and actress.
After graduating in theatre history at the Stockholm University and the Calle Flygare Theatre Schoool, Kahle founded a drama school and the Karachi theatre in Karachi, Pakistan (1953‐57), where she staged some of the worlds most famous works of drama in English and in Urdu. Kahle has writen theatre plays, books, articles and also translated and introduced modern Arabic poetry into Swedish. She has lived, studied and worked for long periods of her life in Pakistan, India, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Sudan and in the whole Middle East.
Kahle has great knowledge of the religious expressions and the theatrical and poetical lives and traditions.
With delicacy and deep insight she has transformed this knowledge into her own creativity and expressions.
