Eric Ericson
Eric Gustaf Ericson[1] (26 October 1918 – 16 February 2013)[2] was a Swedish choral conductor and influential choral teacher.
Life and career
[edit]He graduated from the Royal College of Music (Kungl. Musikhögskolan) in Stockholm in 1943 and went on to complete his studies abroad, at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland, and in Germany, Great Britain, and the United States.
Renowned for his innovative teaching methods and the wide-ranging nature of his repertoire, Ericson was the principal conductor of the Orphei Drängar choir at Uppsala University from 1951 until 1991, and choirmaster until 1982 of the Swedish Radio Choir which was established on his initiative in 1951. Also in 1951, he began his teaching career at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where he became a legendary and inspirational figure, and he was appointed to the chair of choral conducting there in 1968. In 1983 Ericson received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Humanities at Uppsala University, Sweden.[3]
He won the Nordic Council Music Prize in 1995, and in 1997 Ericson shared the Polar Music Prize with Bruce Springsteen: the citation was for "pioneering achievements as a conductor, teacher, artistic originator and inspirer in Swedish and international choral music". On the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1998, Swedbank of Sweden endowed an "Eric Ericson Chair in Choral Directing" at Uppsala University.
He founded the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, and worked as a guest conductor for many ensembles and choirs including Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble (Bach's Passions), Netherlands Chamber Choir (Poulenc), Chœur de chambre Accentus, Paris (Finnish works).
His conducting for the 1975 Bergman film The Magic Flute was described as "impressive" in its balance of "levity and solemnity", and the reviewer noted that Ericson was "a Mozartian to be reckoned with".[4]
Awards
[edit]- Litteris et Artibus (1968)[5]
- Léonie Sonning Music Prize (1991; Denmark)
- Nordic Council Music Prize (1995, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland)
- Polar Music Prize (1997, Sweden)
- Illis quorum (1988)[6]
- KTH Great Prize[7]
Selected recordings
[edit]- Compositions by Ingvar Lidholm, Sven-David Sandström, Tomas Jennefelt, Jorgen Jersild - Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Caprice CAP21461 2002.
- Skandinavien - Choir de Chambre Accentus, FCM (2000)
References
[edit]- ^
- ^ Eric Ericson 26/10 1918 — 16/2 2013 Orphei Drängar official website (in Swedish)
Körledaren Eric Ericson död, Upsala Nya Tidning, 16 February 2013. (in Swedish)
Körlegenden Eric Ericson har gått bort Sveriges Radio 16 February 2013 (in Swedish)
Körledaren Eric Ericson avliden Dagens Nyheter 16 February 2013 (in Swedish) - ^ "Honorary doctorates - Uppsala University, Sweden".
- ^ Evidon, Richard. Bergman and 'The Magic Flute'. The Musical Times, Vol. 117, No. 1596 (February 1976), pp. 130-131.
- ^ Svenska Dagbladet, 17 November 1968, p. 12
- ^ "Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse: Professors namn". Regeringskansliet (in Swedish). January 2006. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ Haraldsson, Marcus (2005-09-01). "Eric Ericson vann KTH:s stora pris". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
External links
[edit]- Prizewinners of 1997 Archived 2004-04-14 at the Wayback Machine – Polar Music Prize
- Eric Ericson - 50 years with the Chamber Choir - Interview with Eric Ericson from 1997 in The Art Bin Magazine
- Eric Ericson at Allmusic
See also
[edit]
- 1918 births
- 2013 deaths
- Swedish choral conductors
- Litteris et Artibus recipients
- Royal College of Music, Stockholm alumni
- Schola Cantorum de Paris alumni
- Swedish male conductors (music)
- People from Borås
- Recipients of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize
- Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
- Recipients of the Illis quorum