Erik Westberg

Biography

Westberg has been the leader of numerous choirs, including the YMCA choir in Stockholm and the Oslo Philharmonic choir. He has also been guest conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir, Pro Coro Canada, Coro Nacional de España och Coro Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo in Brazil, Jauna Muzika in Lithuania and artist in residence at Wollongong University in Australia 1997.

Westberg was the founder of the project "Choral Singing for Peace and Justice": during the millennium celebrations, 8,000 choristers in 56 countries were involved in this project, singing the twelve-year old Irishman Shaun McLaughlin's poem "Across the Bridge of Hope", set to music by Jan Sandström. Also, the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble first held a concert with this centerpiece at Tonga, the first country in the world to enter the new millennium. Then, the morning after, they flew to Samoa – the last country to enter the new millennium and therefore "they arrived the day before they left" – and once again the Vocal Ensemble held the concert, as a symbol for the encircling of time.

The Tonga concert was broadcast by the BBC and the transmission was seen by the world's largest television audience in history. The project was supported, by the past present, Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan, President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and King Tāufaʻahau Tupou IV of Tonga.

Westberg initiated the Barents International Centre for Choral Music 2003 which was inaugurated by the minister of culture Marita Ulvskog and the Barents International Chamber Choir, a professional choir with singers from Norway, Sweden, Finland och Russia. 2008 Westberg was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Autumn 2009 he was a visiting professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, USA.

Together with Benny Andersson, Orsa spelmän and Gunnar Idenstam, Westberg conducted The University Chamber Choir in Piteå when they premiered Benny Andersson's, for the occasion commissioned work, En skrift i snön [Scriptures in the snow] (lyrics by Kristina Lugn) during the inauguration ceremony of Organ Acusticum in Studio Acusticum 2012.

With The University Chamber Choir in Piteå and the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble, he has performed over 50 tours to Europa, North- and South America and Asia. With the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble he has premiered over 40 works by, among others: B Tommy Andersson, Gunnar Eriksson, Mats Larsson Gothe, Paula af Malmborg Ward, Jan Sandström, Sven-David Sandström and Arvo Pärt. His audio catalog includes more than twenty recordings from the record labels Studio Acusticum Records, Opus3, Naxos, and Caprice, several of which has received excellent reviews.

Since 1990, Westberg has primarily worked at Luleå University of Technology/School of Music in Piteå as professor in music performance.

Conducting activities

Discography

Awards