The RSPO Orchestra Academy Project

The RSPO Orchestra Academy is a higher academic special programme for young musicians, and is associated with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme is focused on an international target audience and the formal name is the RSPO Orchestra Academy (Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra – RSPO). 

The supervisors and instructors are primarily section leaders from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme includes individual instrument instruction, orchestral performance, and chamber music performance. There are also “mock auditions” in which participants get to practice the various steps involved with applying for a position in an orchestra, as well as seminars by experienced teachers from the School of Music at Luleå University of Technology. 

Learn more about the RSPO Orchestra Academy

New music

Young Finnish composer Aino Tenkanen has composed a piece especially for the Orchestra Academy. Tenkanen studied at the Sibelius Academy and emphasises artistic collaboration. Her music has been performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Avanti! ensemble and the TEMA Quartet.

She has used choreography in the new piece, Inner Circle, which was composed especially for the young musicians of the Orchestra Academy. A key element of the project was the process between composer and ensemble, in which parts of the piece were tested throughout the course of the work. The world premiere will be via live broadcast from Konserthuset Stockholm during Digital Culture Night Stockholm in April 2021.

Stage presence

A successful career in music is built by developing many skills. Musicality and the actual performance are a matter of course, but the ability to present the music in an inviting and intriguing way is also important. Stage presence – how a musician behaves on stage – is also crucial. In this project, Orchestra Academy students have had an initial virtual meeting with renowned coach Kjell-Peder Johansson from the Luleå University of Technology. As soon as possible, this will be followed up with an in-person meeting. 

The purpose is to be able to guide the desired feeling and audience experience. Inspiration is taken from different genres and the musicians get to explore their stage presence in new ways. The project also explores how the musicians can act with empathy, function better as a group, and capture and retain the audience’s interest.