For composers

The piece

We wish to inspire composers in creating pieces which are relevant for the time in which we live, and we hope that this will result in numerous exciting Lyrics (new or pre-existing) are chosen by the composer, and should bear relevance for our time.  For the purpose of spreading of the work, it is important that the language chosen is applicable in an international context. For contributions in other languages, an English translation is required.

The music shall be written for male voice a cappella choir with 4–12 parts (TTBB–TTTTTTBBBBBB), and the duration of the piece shall be 6–9 minutes (including all movements, if subdivided).

The choir

Svanholm Singers is an extraordinary male voice chamber choir. Since its formation in 1998, the ensemble has established itself as one of the brightest shining stars on the Swedish choral scene. The twenty talented singers constantly strive to develop and refine their artistic and musical expression, through vocal music for male voices.

The core of the repertoire is the male choir tradition of Scandinavia and the Baltic, but the choir performs a wide range of music, spanning from medieval to contemporary, sacred and profane. Through numerous tours and awards in Europe and Japan the ensemble has gained a reputation for performances characterized by spirit, joy and youth while making unique interpretations of classical music. The light voices of the singers in combination with an exact intonation create a unique sound that has become the trademark for Svanholm Singers.

We recommend composers to get an idea of our sound by listening to samples of our recordings. A full selection is available under the Recordings section, and here are a few samples from our latest albums.

Fingerprints (2010)

From Quatre Motets sur des Thèmes Grégoriens (Four Motets on Gregorian Themes) Op. 10: Ubi caritas et amor
Composer: Maurice Duruflé.

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From Tre mandskormotetter (Three Motets for Male Chorus): De profundis
Composer: Bernhard Lewkovitch.

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Leelo (Song)
Traditional from Estonia. Arrangement: Mart Saar.

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Tormis – Works for Men’s Voices (2007)

Crosswind
Composer: Veljo Tormis.

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Curse upon Iron
Composer: Veljo Tormis. Shaman drum: Veljo Tormis. Tenor: Emil Johannisson. Bass: Erik Emilsson.

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Live in Japan (2005)

Traditional from Hungary. Arrangement: Béla Bartok.

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Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff. Arrangement: Vladimir Morosan.

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december (2004)

Noël nouvelet
Traditional from France. Arrangement: Sofia Söderberg Eberhard.

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Contact

For artistic questions and matters of composition technique, please contact Sofia Söderberg Eberhard at
sofiasvanholmsingers.se. The competition is coordinated by Martin Stervander and Oscar Lundberg. Please email awardsvanholmsingers.se for information and administrative questions.