Musethica Sessions in Östergötland
Concerts with social impact
With support from Signatur Foundation Sweden, Musethica has since 2023 organised chamber music concerts in schools, hospitals, prisons, daily activities and other socially oriented activities around the region of Östergötland. The concerts are particularly aimed at people whose opportunities to attend a live concert are limited for various reasons. The plan is to continue the activities in collaboration with Signatur in both 2024 and 2025.
Musethica is a cutting-edge training programme and an international concept that offers gifted young musicians the opportunity to play regular concerts for audiences not usually exposed to classical music. The musicians get the unique opportunity to play between 10-12 concerts with one of Musethica’s mentors during a Musethica session, that is an intensive week-long course. Between concerts, the musicians receive feedback and participate in master classes.
A growing audience for classical music
The project helps to develop and broaden the audience for classical music by playing for groups in society that would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend a concert. At the same time, the young musicians develop enormously by playing alongside international world artists combined with intensive and regular encounters with new audiences.
Musethica’s audience is constantly growing through the development of partnerships with aid organisations, schools, special schools, hospitals, LSS services, prisons, old people’s homes, hospices, homeless shelters, women’s shelters, asylum centres, etc. The concerts are always offered free of charge. Musethica’s vision is to make a broad and positive impact on society by developing long-term partnerships in the fields of education, culture and social welfare. Concerts of the highest musical quality will thus become a natural part of people’s everyday lives all over Sweden.
A social concept in advanced music education
Musethica is an international concept that gives young musicians the opportunity to develop their artistic skills while spreading classical music to groups whose opportunity to attend a live concert is limited for various reasons. “Learning by doing” is the motto. Through a mentoring programme with Musethica’s tutors, all of whom are world renowned soloists or professors, combined with regular and intensive concert training in front of an unfamiliar audience, the musicians develop enormously while helping to combat social exclusion. Musethica’s vision is to contribute to a broad and positive impact on society through the development of long-term collaborations in the fields of education, culture, and social welfare. 85 per cent of Musethica’s concerts take place in preschools, schools, special education, hospitals, LSS facilities, prisons, elderly care homes, hospices, shelters, asylum seekers’ homes, etc. 15 per cent of the concerts are played for the public in traditional concert halls.
Musethica Sweden
The Musethica concept was developed in 2012 in Zaragoza, Spain, by violist Avri Levitan and economics professor Carmen Marcuello. Today Musethica is active in 12 countries and in Sweden the non-profit organisation Musethica Sweden was founded in 2016. Musethica Sweden provides young, gifted, advanced-level music students with practical concert experience by promoting the Musethica educational concept in Sweden. The organisation also wants to enable more people to take part in high quality performances of classical music. Especially those individuals and groups who are or risk becoming socially excluded, such as unaccompanied refugee children, residents of asylum centres and various types of supported housing, people with disabilities, or people who are in prison. In addition, the association works to spread Musethica’s educational model and make use of its results through collaborations with educational institutions and musicians around the world.
Read more about Musethica Sweden and about forthcoming events on their own website: https://sweden.musethica.org and about the international organisation here: https://musethica.org/