The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music and American Swedish Institute present Iceland’s Bedroom Community and Friends, in Concert at a Special Outdoor Concert on the Turnblad Mansion Grounds, Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Featuring the Nordic musical collective of Mariam Wallentin, Pekka Kuusisto, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Sam Amidon, Daníel Bjarnason and Jodie Landau

Presented as part of the SPCO’s Where Words End Festival, Celebrating Nordic Music and Culture

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN—The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series and the American Swedish Institute (ASI) join forces on Tuesday, May 9, 7:30 p.m., to present a rare, one-of-a-kind performance on the beautiful grounds of ASI’s historic Turnblad Mansion, showcasing Iceland’s Bedroom Community music collective. Tickets are $25 ($20 for ASI members and Liquid Music subscribers). To purchase, visit liquidmusicseries.org or call 651.291.1144. The ticket price also includes admission to the “Castle” campus and ASI’s stunning new The Weather Diaries exhibition, exploring West Nordic fashion and identity. Similar to ASI’s wildly popular “Cocktails at the Castle” events, the award-winning FIKA Café’ will be offering crafted cocktails, Nordic inspired food and a cash bar.

Presented as part of SPCO’s Where Words End: A celebration of Nordic music and culture, the featured performing group is the Bedroom Community, “a creative hub of sonic geniuses that continues to evolve and produce incredible work.” (BlackBook Magazine). Operating out of Iceland as a collective and record label, it is dedicated to the musical innovations of a close knit group of composers and performers including Daníel Bjarnason, Sam Amidon and Valgeir Sigurðsson. Celebrated as “a lightning rod at the juncture where the ambition of classical music meets the aesthetics of indie music” (Pitchfork), the collective teams up with Finnish violinist and SPCO Artistic Partner Pekka Kuusisto, and the U.S. debut of primordial Swedish songstress Mariam Wallentin (Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Mariam the Believer). As part of the experience, the concert icket includes admission to The Weather Diaries, ASI’s stunning new art exhibition with photographic artworks and installations exploring fashion and identity from Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Bedroom Community composer Valgeir Sigurðsson relishes the excitement and challenge of mounting such a wide ranging event, “A collaborative show like this one is a plate-spinning exercise, or like playing ping-pong with an octopus,” says Sigurðsson. “Stay focused, or you’ll miss something.”

“The combination of ASI and Liquid Music’s organizational vision and resources make this a thrilling event,” says Liquid Music curator Kate Nordstrum. “We have been looking for an opportunity to partner for some time now. SPCO Artistic Partner Pekka Kuusisto and Bedroom Community founder Valgeir Sigurðsson worked closely with us to develop the concert framework, offering equal time to the collective members to highlight contemporary selections as well as a few re-imaginings of traditional Nordic folk tunes.”

“It takes thoughtful partnerships like this one with SPCO to create innovative programming like this,” adds Scott Pollock, ASI’s Director of Exhibits, Collections and Programs. “I’m thrilled that this collaborative music project will draw on artistic content from The Weather Diaries exhibition which connects the contemporary to the traditional. As a cultural organization committed to nurturing stronger links to today’s Sweden and the Nordic region by promoting an exchange of ideas, we couldn’t be more delighted to co-present this performance.”

About Where Words End: A celebration of Nordic music and culture
“For me, music begins where words end.” – Jean Sibelius

In May 2017, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents Where Words End, a festival that explores themes of immigration and cultural identity through the lens of Nordic music and culture with programs that bring together artists of various disciplines and backgrounds. The festival includes specially tailored SPCO concerts featuring Artistic Partners Martin Fröst and Pekka Kuusisto, Liquid Music programming with Iceland’s Bedroom Community, American Swedish Institute activities and more. Learn more at thespco.org/wherewordsend

FEATURED ARTISTS:
Mariam Wallentin
Pekka Kuusisto
Valgeir Sigurðsson
Sam Amidon
Daníel Bjarnason
Jodie Landau

DATE AND LOCATION:
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Doors at 6pm | Music at 7:30pm
American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis
2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis MN 55407

TICKETS: $25 ($20 for Liquid Music subscribers and American Swedish Institute members)
Includes admission to The Weather Diaries
liquidmusicseries.org | 651.291.1144

The SPCO’s Liquid Music Series, named “Best of Classical” by the New York Times, develops innovative new projects with iconoclastic artists in unique presentation formats. Liquid Music performances invite adventurous audiences to discover the new and the fascinating within the flourishing landscape of contemporary chamber music. Renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. Now in its 58th season, the SPCO has recently undergone transformational change with the opening of its new home, the Ordway Concert Hall, the addition of a new generation of players, and significant changes in its artistic vision. The SPCO is primarily an unconducted ensemble that performs a broad range of repertoire from Baroque to new music and works in close collaboration with a diverse series of artistic partners, including British Baroque specialist Jonathan Cohen, American pianist Jeremy Denk, Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst, Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto and Austrian conductor/violinist Thomas Zehetmair.

Presenting Partner – American Swedish Institute
The American Swedish Institute is a gathering place for all people to share experiences around themes of culture, migration, the environment and the arts, informed by enduring links to Sweden. The American Swedish Institute is a vibrant arts and cultural organization that engages locally and connects globally. With a campus including the historic Turnblad Mansion and the Nelson Cultural Center, ASI uses its resources to be a valuable community asset and integral partner. For additional information, visit ASImn.org or call 612.871.4907.