Music Against Violence

(With a little help from our roots)

Swedish and American traditions meet in an exciting and contrasting program where the excellent Swedish choir "Wermlandsensemblen", conducted by Professor Gunno Palmquist (professor at the Academy of Music and Drama at Gothenburg University), collaborates with the saxophone player Håkan Lewin, percussionist Jon-Erik Björänge and keyboard player Professor Johannes Landgren (professor at the Academy of Music and Drama at Gothenburg University). The music is a mix of Swedish folk music and afro-american music. The content of the program is centered around Swedish folk music in different arrangements where traditional Swedish folk songs are mixed with a musical language with its roots in Afro-American spirituals, blues and jazz. The choir "Wermlandsensemblen", with its conductor Gunno Palmquist, is one of Swedens most distinguished choirs.(for further information go to www.wermlandsensemblen.se). The trio Lewin/Landgren/Björänge has made many CD recordings and has also toured in most countries in Europe as well as Russia and USA.(for further information, photos, pressreleases etc: go to www.ellingtonandmore.com).

Except for Swedish folk music and afro-american music the program presents original compositions by Håkan Lewin, such as f i the beautiful ballad "Music against Violence". The ideological focus is the empathetic values between men and the potential of cultural events to focus on and to develop this kind of values - for the future of mankind.