I am (Original) Svanholm Singers

• Emil Fredberg Zander: I Know:
• 1 Zander: I Know 06:45
• Per Nørgård (1932 - 2025): Wiigen-Lied:
• 2 Nørgård: Wiigen-Lied 03:56
• Sofia Söderberg (b. 1972): Säg mig den vägen:
• 3 Söderberg: Säg mig den vägen 03:27
• Paul Mealor (b. 1975): Let Your Soul Stand:
• 4 Mealor: Let Your Soul Stand 04:42
• Benjamin Levin (b. 1988), Tim Bergling (1989 2018): Lonely Together:
• 5 Levin, Bergling: Lonely Together 04:44
• Henrik Dahlgren (b. 1991): ...There is Also Loneliness:
• 6 Dahlgren: ...There is Also Loneliness 07:57
• My Shadow's in a Shadow:
• 7 Dahlgren: My Shadow's in a Shadow 02:20
• I Listen:
• 8 Dahlgren: I Listen 07:19
• I Am:
• 9 Dahlgren: I Am 04:55
• Justin Vernon (b. 1981): Woods:
• 10 Vernon: Woods 06:19
• Phillip A. Cooke: The Shadow Calls:
• 11 Cooke: The Shadow Calls 06:43
• Total Runtime 59:07

Info for I am (Original)

In 2023, Svanholm Singers premiered their concept performance called Själv. A concept where the singers of the ensemble had a chance to speak openly about mental health, loneliness, and the search for happiness in our modern world. During the creative process, the singers and their conductor Sofia Söderberg, commissioned 8 new pieces for lower voices. The present album, I am, contains these new pieces and in addition Per Nørgård’s Wiigen-Lied from the suite Wie ein Kind, here performed with only male voices. (Henrik Dahlgren)

The word själv isn’t an easy one to translate into English, for like many Nordic words it holds deep national and cultural resonances that are difficult to replicate in other languages. In its broadest sense it relates to the self, to be by oneself, to be alone and to possibly be aware of the different feelings that are associated with this solitude – loneliness, perhaps, but not always in a negative and destructive manner – something deeper and more nuanced that is encountered by many in the modern world.

The idea of själv permeates many walks of life and different areas of our contemporary societies and this resulted in a concept-performance from the Svanholm Singers and conductor Sofia Söderberg, much of what is recorded here on I Am. This recording seeks to shine a light on this multi-faceted concept and how different aspects of the ‘self’ are important parts of what is means to be human. The recording explores key ideas of nature, masculinity, the soul, loneliness and an anxiety at feeling out of time with the rapidly changing world. It brings composers, arrangers and poets from different traditions, countries and times together to delve into this complex, but fundamental state of being and the questions asked by these creative individuals are central to understanding ourselves and our place in the modern world.

Svanholm Singers
Sofia Söderberg, conductor

Svanholm Singers
conducted by Sofia Söderberg, is an extraordinary male voice chamber choir. Since its formation in 1998, the ensemble has established itself as one of the foremost actors on the Swedish choral scene; striving constantly to refine the artistic and musical expression.

During numerous tours and awards the ensemble has gained a reputation for performances characterized by captivating intensity, musical quality and originality, while making unique interpretations of classical music. The young voices and exact intonation of the singers in combination with the expressive conducting of Sofia Söderberg has become the trademark of Svanholm Singers.

The core of the repertoire consists of music from the Scandinavian and Baltic choir tradition, but at the same time the choir is striving to expand and develop the male choir repertoire. Therefore, Svanholm Singers, constantly commission and perform new music and they have worked with a great number of composers around the world, for example Tobias Broström, Christian Engquist and Daniel Hjort from Sweden, Knut Nystedt from Norway, Peter Bruun from Denmark, Blake Morgan (Voces8) from Great Britain, John Milne from USA and Arturo Salinas from Mexico. In addition to this, Sofia Söderberg and also the singers, write unique arrangements and compositions for the choir. Among the choir’s favourite composers is the deceased Estonian composer, Veljo Tormis, with whom the choir had a unique collaboration. This resulted in several joint tours and a recording where Tormis himself participates - Tormis: Works for Men’s Voices.

The list of successes grows long and includes prizes, awards and victories in several competitions, for example the Tolosa Choral Contest 2016 in Spain where the choir won both their categories. Svanholm Singers is constantly touring internationally and has done as many as 5 tours to Japan as well as a prestigious tour to Taiwan and China during the summer of 2017.

Sofia Söderberg
studied singing, piano, organ and choral conducting at the Malmö Academy of Music and baroque cello at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Sofia has established herself as a distinguished Choral Conductor. She has been awarded numerous prizes for her conducting and her interpretations has been recognized with a number of honors all over the world.

Sofia has been working as Chorus Master at Malmö Opera, and as soloist and conductor at Skånes Dansteater, Teater Insite and Operaverkstan Malmö. Since 2001 Sofia is conductor and artistic director of the international known ensemble Svanholm Singers and in 2010 she was selected artist of the year at Lund Choral International Festival. In 2015 Sofia founded and conducted Malmö Live Vocal Ensemble and the same year she conducted Malmö Symphony Orchestra for the first time. In may 2017 she made her debut together with the Swedish Radio Choir conducting two concerts at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm and since april 2018 she is conductor and artistic director of the Danish Chamber Choir Camerata in Copenhagen.

Sofia is frequently writing music and arrangements for her choirs and her music has been published by Gehrmans and Bo Ejeby in Sweden and by Walton Music in USA. Among her cd-productions Tormis: Works for Men´s Voices is worth mentioning though it was appointed ”album of the year” by the prestigious magazine Gramophone.

Booklet for I am (Original)