Who we are
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Queen Silvia Concert Hall
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Lilla Akademien
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O/Modernt
Queen Silvia Concert Hall
A sounding room for an interconnected world
Shared musical experiences change our outlook, replacing dividing lines with visions of togetherness. In an architectural celebration of everything that unites us, Lilla Akademien commissioned and built the Queen Silvia Concert Hall – a sounding room for an interconnected world.
The Queen Silvia Concert Hall is located within the Stockholm campus of Lilla Akademien. It was officially opened in June 2022 and is named after the school’s patron, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Educational hub
The Queen Silvia Concert Hall is a thriving centre for learning. In addition to concerts and rehearsals, educational activities include:
1Lectures
2Seminars
3Masterclasses
4Workshops
Our story
World-class architecture and acoustics
The Queen Silvia Concert Hall, which holds 200 people, was created by renowned Italian architect Giorgio Palù in collaboration with world-leading Japanese acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota.
Palù’s design for the concert hall at Lilla Akademien features a non-traditional central stage that allows the audience to sit on all sides of the musicians. Enhancing the irresistible allure of music, the unadorned wooden performance area is formed of graceful organic shapes.
A first-class lighting system introduces magical auras that can be adjusted to suit the mood of each performance. Designed by Daniel Hodierne of Light Bureau, the hall’s lighting was awarded the prestigious Swedish Lighting Design Award in 2023.
Making use of the latest digital technology, concerts, rehearsals, seminars and lectures can be live streamed, with real-time interactions between performers and audiences locally and internationally. The near-limitless possibilities for global exchanges make the hall a space for cutting-edge intellectual and artistic adventure.
Lilla Akademien
Lilla Akademien was founded in 1998 by the visionary musician and teacher Nina Balabina, in association with the school’s first principal, Bo Lindgren. Nearly thirty years on, the school welcomes 450 full-time pupils, from preschool to pre-college. An additional 550 young people attend weekend classes, making a total of about 1,000 students between the ages of two and twenty-two. One of Sweden’s most important institutions for the training of young musicians, Lilla Akademien is steadily acquiring an international reputation for educational excellence.
A Holistic Philosophy
Lilla Akademien’s all-round educational programme embraces three core principles:
Every student is a unique individual. Lilla Akademien therefore develops each pupil’s creativity and artistry by providing a multifaceted education that nurtures independent, responsible and compassionate individuals.
A spontaneous and creative pedagogy. Pupils are encouraged to realise their creative potential through spontaneous, immersive engagement with any given task or problem.
The diversity of life should be cherished. Lilla Akademien provides a secure learning environment that promotes tolerance, trust and respect.
Music education
Traditionally taught classical music forms the basis of Lilla Akademien’s curriculum, with an expanded programme at upper secondary and pre-college level that allows pupils to specialise in jazz and folk music, as well as composition, music production and conducting. The school offers an invaluable education for those wishing to attend music colleges in Sweden or abroad, and pursue multifaceted careers in the cultural world of today.
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O/Modernt
O/Modernt (Swedish for ‘Un/Modern’) is the innovative concept devised by its Artistic Director – the violinist and conductor, Hugo Ticciati. Combining diverse musical genres in unexpected ways, O/Modernt celebrates connectivity through music and the arts. Outward-looking, inclusive and passionate about breaking down boundaries between diverse epochs, cultures and peoples, O/Modernt’s philosophy is encapsulated in its twofold motto, borrowed from John Cage: Invent the past. Revise the future.
O/Modernt performs in a variety of guises, from small chamber groups to large ensembles. Its distinctive identity is defined by reinventing the concert experience to create unique listening encounters. Using unexpected musical connections, O/Modernt weaves musical fabrics in which baroque and rock, eastern and western, minimalist and romantic playfully interact and are mutually enriched.
Resident at the newly opened state-of-the-art Queen Silvia Concert Hall in Stockholm, O/Modernt stages two annual festivals in February and June, respectively, that attract top players from Europe and around the world. Over the past decade, O/Modernt has gained an international reputation, with sell-out performances at Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Wiener Musikverein and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Amsterdam. Recent and upcoming highlights include the opening of the Flanders Festival (Ghent), concerts in Kölner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie (Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival) and Berwaldhallen (Baltic Sea Festival).
Philosophy
O/Modernt’s creative philosophy opens up a rare space for explorative partnerships with international musicians and artists working in a diverse range of styles. Recent collaborators include Evelyn Glennie, Steven Isserlis, Anne Sofie von Otter and Nils Landgren, as well as jazz artists, rappers, choreographers, dancers, painters and rock-balancers.