In 2018, the first international composition academy was held. In 2020, the pandemic put an end to it, but we cautiously resumed the effort in 2021 remotely and in 2022 we ventured into an on-site academy last year. Composers Klaus Lang and Pierluigi Billone participated as teachers, and musicians from Soyuz Zurich and our special Luigi Nono Trio gave workshops. As a result of the academy, two students who participated last year were given the task of writing a piece each for this year’s festival, to be performed by one of our many ensembles. It is with great joy that this year we prepare a place for Love Carbin and Emil Nilsson’s music through the ensembles Gageego! and ensemble mosaik.

The compositions of Love Carbin approach the limits of music: inhabiting the edges of silence, intensity, density and sparsity. He takes inspiration from poetry, art and film when composing. The music is both powerful and intimate, and when these opposite poles meet, poetic sound worlds emerge.

il for string trio (composed for ensemble mosaik’s concert 12th of august at 16.00)

“il” -  I imagine the title as a cut off word: something is missing. When I imagined a string trio, I first heard low, rattling strings – so I decided that all the instruments should have a (significantly) detuned string. This makes the sound from the strings quieter and more noisy. With this as a starting point, I was then able to sculpt the work out of this basic sound. I work intuitively and almost choreographically: I bought a violin and tried to find movements along the instrument myself. In the music, sometimes a lot happens, but sometimes: almost nothing.

Emil Nilsson is a composer and performer based in Gothenburg. He primarily works with acoustic chamber music, and his main interests lies in exploring the timbral and textural properties of sound. In the spring of 2023, he graduated from the Academy of Music and Drama where he studied composition. He has collaborated with ensembles such as Norrbotten Neo, Curious Chamber Players and more.

Transparent structure for alto flute, percussion and cello (composed for Gageego!’s concert 12th of august at 13.00)

‘a continuous exploration of the poetic potential of sound’