Conventions in USA, Scotland and Germany and more.

This is a year of travelling and I am enjoying it very much.

Mars have been extraordinary – I am currently enjoying a stay in the Swedish Composers Guild’s apartment in Cortona, Italy doing not so much more than enjoying life with my wife and small kids
OK, I am working some on a commission from Vocalia Taldea, Spain. A Salve Regina for double women’s choir – it will be ready before the end of April hopefully much sooner.

But before Italy, I spent a night in London listening to Chantage’s premiere of my Triptyk with original text of hospital chaplain/poet Kerstin Dillmar.
The concert in The Swedish Church in London, was wonderful and it also included the rest of the a cappella music which Chantage recorded the week after for their CD Chantage and the choral music of Mårten Jansson. I am really glad that I attended the concert and to be able to discuss some the music before the actual recording and I am very much looking forward to the CD release!

The reason for being just one night in London was that I directly after that flew to Minneapolis to attend the ACDA National Conference.
It was a really intense weekend with lot’s of interesting meetings conductors and composers. The highlight for me was of course though the showcase on my music and it went quite well.
About 60 persons came to listen and I was very lucky to have Kammerchor Stuttgart with their conductor Frieder Bernius as guests performing The Choirmaster’s Burial.
The rest of the conference I spent basically in Bärenreiters stand where I very much enjoyed showing my music and making new acquaintances and got to meet some of my favourite composers including Eriks Esenvalds, Ola Geijlo, Bob Chilcott, Dan Forrest, Cecilia McDowell and others. To this I on the very last day of the conference just by chance happened to meet and have dinner with poet
Charles Anthony Silvestri and I am very happy to say that we most likely will cooperate soon. I am truly blessed to now have personal contact with three poets – it is truly a composers dream!

I have also some appointments for the rest of the year.
In August I will go to Glasgow, Scotland for the ABCD conference where I will lead a workshop about Scandinavian choir music.
And in September I will attend Chor.com in Dortmund, Germany to lead a reading session on my music. It will be the third time for me there and I have enjoyed the previous two Chor.com tremendously!