Arkipelag Kammarmusikfestival
Concerts in surroundings close to nature
Arkipelag Chamber Music Festival takes place in nature-friendly surroundings in Stockholm every summer, combining classical music with genres such as folk music and jazz. The festival aims to be a meeting place for music lovers, as well as for those curious to experience a classical concert for the first time.
We strive to bring together musicians and audiences from diverse backgrounds, creating a welcoming environment. At our concerts, you can hear famous masterpieces of chamber music alongside newly written works and music by overlooked composers.
The festival was founded in 2023 by Saga de Léon and Selma Aanonsen after several years of planning. The idea is to unite chamber music with a relaxed setting close to nature in order to create a unique overall experience. A significant inspiration for the festival comes from Saga’s childhood and her summers in the Stockholm archipelago, where her father was a captain during her upbringing.
Therefore, the festival’s debut was held in the archipelago in the summer of 2023, on the island of Vaxholm, featuring three concerts in Vaxholm Church. After a successful festival with more than 300 visitors, we developed the concept further for 2024, planning four concerts at four different locations within Stockholm County. The concerts took place in Tyresö, Nacka, Mälarhöjden, and Saltsjöbaden from August 7 to 10, and were met with great enthusiasm from the audience.
Now, we’re looking forward to next year’s festival, and we will continuously update the website with information about dates, locationsand repertoire!
Founders
Arkipelag Chamber Music Festival was founded by Saga de Léon and Selma Aanonsen, and the two of them now runs the festival together.
SAGA DE LEON
The initiator behind the festival is the cellist Saga de Leon. Saga grew up in Huddinge and now lives in Stockholm after a long period of studies in Denmark. She has a master's degree from the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen and an advanced postgraduate diplo,a from the Southern Danish Conservatory of Music in Odense, and has also studied with Hans Jørgen Jensen in Chicago.
Nowadays, Saga is a freelance orchestral musician and works daily in a large number of Swedish and Danish orchestras; including Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Swedish Opera and Copenhagen Phil. She got the inspiration for a festival close to nature and the sea in Stockholm from her father, who is a captain and during her entire upbringing owned and operated a ship in Mälaren and Stockholm's beautiful archipelago.
SELMA AANONSEN
Selma is, alongside Saga, the founder and organiser of Arkipelag Chamber Music Festival. She has extensive experience as a cultural project manager and administrator in the field of music, having previously worked for various orchestras and festivals, including Skallsjö Sommarorkester and LYRC Orchestra.
Arkipelag Kammarmusikfestival
Arkipelag Chamber Music Festival was founded as a non-profit organisation in the spring of 2023. The organisation is based in Stockholm and aims to organise a chamber music festival each summer near nature and/or water in Stockholm County. The organization works to make chamber music accessible to a wide audience and to promote music by female composers.