A Sounding Room for an Interconnected World
Every new generation of musician must pose the question: how can we create and perform music that speaks to contemporary listeners with power and relevance? At O/Modernt and Lilla Akademien we share the same encompassing approach to musical performance and education. Music that communicates most compellingly is brought to life by multifaceted, inquisitive and well-rounded individuals.
The Queen Silvia Concert Hall, scheduled for opening in spring 2022, will be the architectural embodiment of the philosophy shared by Lilla Akademien and O/Modernt. With a full capacity of up to 300 people, it will be a beautiful, multi-purpose, innovative space for musical encounters that will lead the way in cross-border artistic integration and inclusion. The hall will be the new educational centre at Lilla Akademien and the natural extension of O/Modernt’s creative activities.
The hall is designed by the acclaimed Italian architect Giorgio Palù, well-known internationally for winning the prestigious Compasso D'Oro for his design of the Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi at the Museo del Violino in Cremona, and the consultancy curated by the world-leading Japanese acoustic engineer Yasuhisa Toyota. The hall will become both a sought-after venue for live music and an inspiring setting for creative learning.
Built to the highest environmental standards and equipped with the latest high-end digital technology, the hall will also be a hub of musical and educational exchange without physical barriers, allowing both Lilla Akademien and O/Modernt to connect with a world-wide network of leading artists and arts organisations. Channelling the unrivalled power of music, it will be a sounding room for an interconnected world.
I am confident that in time Lilla Akademien will become a beacon of artistic and academic excellence, setting an example for other countries. Such a haven where music is played for love is much needed in the world of today. — Arvo Pärt
O/Modernt exudes creativity from every pore. — Dagens Nyheter
Lilla Akademien was founded in 1998 by violinist and educational visionary Nina Balabina. The school offers a unique full-time education for 450 students, from pre-school to pre-college, with an integrated curriculum of academic and specialised music studies. It also offers numerous weekend courses for a further 450 students, ranging in age from 2 to 25. The teaching staff numbers more than 200, and together with the students, come from over 60 countries around the world.
The broad and diverse programme of study, which includes lessons in dance, the arts and chess, and the academy’s free-spirited, joyful atmosphere allow each and every pupil to develop in their own unique way.
O/Modernt and Lilla Akademien echo the ideals of the ancient Greek academies, nurturing the artists of tomorrow to become what the Greek philosophers called ‘musicians’ – honest, responsible, tolerant, cultured, intellectually open and creative members of society. Lilla Akademien’s holistic education, with music as its beating heart, forms the bedrock that allows our students to excel in a wide range of careers in music and in other fields. In a similar spirit, music is for O/Modernt a way of exploring connections between diverse cultures: a dialogue between all genres and styles of art, past and present.
O/Modernt deepens and expands the education offered by Lilla Akademien. While many of O/Modernt’s players and associated artists, including both young and internationally established musicians, are graduates of Lilla Akademien, O/Modernt’s extensive musical activities transform the exceptional education offered at the school into a lived reality on the stage of life.
O/Modernt is associated not only with a core group of musicians, but also with diverse artists and thinkers from many disciplines: sculptors, painters, theologians, philosophers, ecologists, poets, historians, monks, scientists and writers. The O/Modernt Academy draws on these collaborations to enrich the education offered to young artists. In addition to their world-class musical training, O/Modernt Academy students are mentored by some of the leading thinkers of our time.
O/Modernt’s extensive performance and educational programme sees the individual’s growth as a musician intimately connected with their profound engagement with a wide range of topics in the humanities, promoting music-making as an attribute of the whole being.
The educational principles and aspirations shared by O/Modernt and Lilla Akademien are based on three foundational pillars:
Holistic
Fostering the development of free, morally responsible, compassionate and well-rounded individuals.
Person-centred
Helping every individual to discover their own creative and artistic personalities.
Spontaneous and creative
Encouraging students and audiences to engage with the arts spontaneously and without inhibition.
Giorgio Palù skiss konsertsal
© arkpabi 2020
While funds to construct the hall have been secured, an additional €3.5 million are still needed to complete the acoustic fittings and to acquire technical equipment and musical instruments.
In addition, the projected costs associated with the above joint activities and flagship projects curated by O/Modernt will range between €200,000–€300,000 per annum in the upcoming next years.
All support and every donation will make a huge difference, helping our shared philosophy of creative learning to expand and flourish in its new home.
We would be delighted to discuss participation and involvement in this joint project with any interested party, be it an individual or organisation, big or small.
Hugo Ticciati Artistic Director hugo@omodernt.com 0046 8 540 64 308
Maxim Belčikov General Manager maxim@omodernt.com 0046 76 329 58 31
