Performers , at the Rued Langgaard Festival 2026
On this page, you can read about the participating musicians, artists, and speakers at the Rued Langgaard Festival 2026.
Bendt Viinholt Nielsen
Bendt Viinholt Nielsen is a music librarian and music scholar. He worked in the music publishing industry from 1977 to 1984, as well as at the Danish Music Information Center (MIC) and the Agency for Palaces and Culture under the Ministry of Culture, and was affiliated with the research department at the Royal Library. He is now retired. He has published a catalog of Rued Langgaard’s works, a biography of Langgaard, and other works, as well as the Rued Langgaard Edition, a scholarly series of the composer’s works.
Benjamin Arnika Skydsgaard
Benjamin Arnika Skydsgaard, pianist, is a student at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He won first prize at the Langgaard Competition in 2023 with violinist Marcelina Sztekmiler. In 2024, he performed throughout the festival on Rued Langgaard’s piano. At this year’s festival, he will once again sit behind Langgaard’s newly renovated piano and perform alongside violinist Triinu Piirsalu, who made her debut from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in February.
Berit Johansen Tange
Berit Johansen Tange trained as a pianist at the Royal Danish Academy of Music under Anne Øland and made her debut as a member of the chamber music class in 2000. Since 2002, she has been employed as an accompanist and rehearsal pianist at the same institution. She has performed and worked extensively with Rued Langgaard’s music, including as co-editor and consultant on several releases under the Rued Langgaard Edition. She has released four CDs featuring Langgaard’s solo piano works, as well as the first complete recording of Langgaard’s works for violin and piano, together with violinist Gunvor Sihm.
Berte Wiggers Lyneborg
Berte Wiggers Lyneborg, mezzo-soprano, trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and will graduate from the Opera Academy in 2027. She made her debut at the Royal Danish Opera in March 2026 in Richard Strauss’s *Der Rosenkavalier* in the role of Drei Waisen. As a concert soloist, she has performed Mozart’s *Requiem* with the Musica Chamber Orchestra and appeared at the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2025, she won second prize at the Rued Langgaard Competition with pianist Merel Beelen, and she has previously won, among other awards, first prize and the audience prize at Unge Sangere 2022.
Birgitte Ebert
Birgitte Ebert, an organist, studied in Copenhagen, Lübeck, and Paris, giving her debut concert at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1990. She served as organist at Hellerup Church from 1990 to 1999, before becoming the cathedral organist in Ribe from 2000 to 2025. She is active as an organ soloist and chamber musician both in Denmark and abroad and has performed as a soloist with, among others, DRuen and the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra.
Birgitte Ebert is co-founder and treasurer of the Rued Langgaard Society and coordinator of the annual Rued Langgaard Festival. She has also co-edited four volumes of organ works under the Rued Langgaard Edition.
Christina Nilsson
Christina Nilsson is a Swedish soprano and one of the Nordic region’s leading opera singers. She made her international breakthrough as Aida at the Royal Opera in Stockholm and has since performed at venues such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and the Bayreuth Festival. Her repertoire includes, among others, Aida, Tosca, Ariadne, Elisabeth (Tannhäuser), Elsa (Lohengrin), and Eva (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg). As a concert singer, she has performed with leading symphony orchestras in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Christina Nilsson is the recipient of the Birgit Nilsson Scholarship, the winner of the Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition, and was appointed Court Singer by King Carl XVI Gustaf in 2025.
David Risberg
David Risberg, baritone, was named Swedish Radio P2 Classical Artist of the Year for 2024/25. He graduated from the Stockholm University of the Arts and made his debut at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 2021. David Risberg has made his mark in roles such as Marcello in *La Bohème*, Guglielmo in *Così fan tutte*, Mr. Darcy in Daniel Nelson’s *Pride and Prejudice*, and Dandini in *La Cenerentola*. He has performed at venues including Malmö Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, Norrlandsoperan, and Drottningholm Palace Theater. As a concert singer, he has performed with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and is considered part of the new generation of prominent Swedish opera singers.
Denisa Irina Pirvulescu
Denisa Irina Pirvulescu is a pianist and is pursuing a master’s degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen under Professor Marianna Shirinyan. She has made a name for herself as a talented soloist and won first prize at the Rued Langgaard Competition in 2025. Denisa Irina Pirvulescu is one of the new generation of promising young pianists and, in 2026, received the Romanian Embassy’s Excellence Award for promoting Romanian culture.
DKDM Brass
DKDM Brass is the brass ensemble of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, led by Professor Jesper Juul Windahl. The ensemble performs a wide-ranging repertoire spanning from the Renaissance to contemporary music and regularly participates in the world premieres of new works. DKDM Brass also collaborates with the conservatory’s woodwind students on orchestral projects and concert productions.
Deeply felt
Dybfølt is a duo featuring cellist Kirstine Elise Pedersen and bassist Mathæus Bech. They perform interpretations of music by Langgaard and other classical works in their very own blend of classical and folk music. Both Kirstine Elise Pedersen and Mathæus Bech are conservatory-trained and share a deep love for Nordic folk music.
Esben Tange
Esben Tange holds a Master of Arts in Music and Media Studies from the University of Copenhagen. He is a program producer and concert host at DR P2 and chair of the board of the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation.
He is a co-founder and former chairman of the Rued Langgaard Society, as well as a co-founder and festival director of the Rued Langgaard Festival in Ribe. He is the author of, among other works, *Hearts Turned Upward: Toward the Light—Rued Langgaard, Music, and Symbolism* (2014) and *The Eternity of the Moment—Mood and Montages in Rued Langgaard’s Music and the Art of His Time* (2024).
Elizabeth Blicher
Elizabeth Blicher holds a Master of Arts in Danish from the University of Copenhagen, with a specialization in Nordic literature and language. She works as a literary scholar, critic, and communicator, and has served as a program officer at the Foundation for Danish-Norwegian Cooperation and as a journalist at Dagbladet Information. She is currently a freelance editor for the Danish Language and Literature Society (2020–) and a literary critic for *Kristeligt Dagblad*. In addition, she is a language and literature educator—including on the radio program “Klog på Sprog”—and serves as a moderator for author talks.
Esbjerg Ensemble
Esbjerg Ensemble was established in 1967 as the first professional chamber ensemble in Denmark.
The ensemble now consists of 10 musicians from around the world, organized into a string quartet, a wind quintet, and a percussion section. The ensemble has released a long series of CDs featuring works by Beethoven, Mozart, Shostakovich, and Fauré, as well as Carl Nielsen, Bent Sørensen, Karl Aage Rasmussen, and Per Nørgård. In addition to concerts in Denmark, the Esbjerg Ensemble frequently performs on international stages.
Gabriella Bergman
Gabriella Bergman was appointed artistic director of the Esbjerg Ensemble in the fall of 2020. After studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, she was hired as a bassoonist with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, where she began developing programs for children and young people within the orchestra. At the same time, she performed with the orchestra as a musician. From 2015 to 2020, she served as artistic director of music at the Spira cultural center in Jönköping and subsequently assumed her position as ensemble director of the Esbjerg Ensemble.
Hans Wallmark
Hans Wallmark is Sweden’s ambassador to Denmark. He holds degrees in law and political science from Uppsala University; he has previously served as president of the Nordic Council, as a member of the Ängelholm City Council, as a member of the Swedish Riksdag, and as foreign policy spokesperson for the Moderate Party.
Helle Lund Rosborg
Helle Lund Rosborg is a project manager and fundraiser at the Rued Langgaard Festival. She holds degrees in music and film and media studies and has worked, among other roles, as a production coordinator and in business development at the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. She is also a fundraiser for Opera in Rebild and a consultant for the Esbjerg Ensemble.
Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra
The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra is one of Sweden’s leading symphony orchestras, with about 60 musicians and based at the iconic Helsingborg Concert Hall. The orchestra combines the symphonic tradition with a strong interest in new music and innovative concert formats. Since 2024, the internationally renowned conductor Maxime Pascal has served as chief conductor. The HSO performs approximately 75 concerts annually and is known for its broad artistic scope, ranging from major symphonic works to family concerts, school projects, and cross-genre collaborations.
Jesper Juul Windahl
Jesper Juul Windahl is a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he heads the brass program. He is a trained trombonist and conductor and served as principal trombonist with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2013. As a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor, he has performed internationally and collaborated with a number of leading orchestras and ensembles. He has won several international awards, been named DR P2 Artist of the Year, and premiered a large number of works written for him by Danish and international composers.
Jonas Frølund
Jonas Frølund is one of Denmark’s most promising young clarinetists, a graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He has a broad repertoire with a focus on chamber music, solo performances, and new music. Jonas is the principal clarinetist with the Danish Entertainment Orchestra and the wind quintet V Coloris, and he collaborates regularly with pianist Elias Holm. He is known for creating music projects from the ground up and has received several awards for his work. He has collaborated with, among others, Trio con Brio Copenhagen, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Marianna Shirinyan, and the Danish String Quartet, and performs regularly with the Nightingale String Quartet.
Jonas Hunt
Jonas Hunt studied church music and early music at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He has had an extensive career as a chamber musician. He trained as an orchestral conductor at Lund University and the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He is also a prolific composer and arranger and has written works for the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Girls’ Choir, the Royal Danish Theater, the MidtVest Girls’ Choir, and others. He serves as cantor at Ribe Cathedral.
Jonas Rasmussen
Jonas Rasmussen is the conductor of the Aarhus Academic Choir, the Aarhus U Youth Choir, and Ensemble Novum, and he holds degrees in choral conducting from the University of Cambridge, the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and the Jutland Conservatory of Music in Aarhus. He also teaches classical choral conducting at the Jutland Conservatory of Music and is highly active as a composer and arranger; in this capacity, he has created works and arrangements that have been performed by choirs throughout Denmark.
Josefine Weber Hansen
Josefine Weber Hansen is a violist, singer, and composer with a particular interest in combining voice and instrument in new artistic expressions. She holds degrees in both voice and viola from the Royal Danish Academy of Music and is currently studying in the Contemporary Creative Artist soloist class at the South Danish Academy of Music. As a performing musician and creative artist, she works across the genres of classical music, new music, and interdisciplinary formats. She is a member of, among others, Venteværelset and Damkapellet, and in 2021 she received the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Scholarship Talent Award and the Sonning Talent Award in 2025.
Karen Bendix
Karen Bendix holds a Master of Arts in Music and Media Studies from the University of Copenhagen, as well as a degree in journalism and communication from DJH. Since then, she has worked in public relations, journalism, marketing, and music communications at organizations including DR P2, Universal Music, the Danish Musicians’ Union, Mission East, the Rued Langgaard Festival, and as head of the secretariat at KORLIV—the Danish National Church’s choir organization.
Laura Helene Hansen
Laura Helene Hansen completed her postgraduate studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 2026 and received her master’s degree from the Opera Academy at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen in 2024. She appeared in the DR documentary series *Den Næste Diva* (The Next Diva), and through her dramatic and humorous performances, she succeeds in sparking curiosity about opera among audiences who do not typically seek out the genre. A large part of Laura’s work and passion revolves around underrepresented composers, especially Danish women.
Lena Jonsson
Lena Jonsson is a Swedish violinist and composer. She is considered one of Scandinavia’s most innovative folk musicians, drawing on the Swedish folk music tradition to blend elements of rock, pop, old-time, and bluegrass into a personal and virtuosic musical style.
Lene Juhl
Lene Juhl is a video artist, digital set designer, and creative concept developer. Using video, lighting, and digital media as her starting point, Lene Juhl creates multidisciplinary projects in the fields of performing arts, spatial installations, exhibitions, and concerts. Her artistic practice lies at the intersection of visual art, design, and live performance.
Lotte Andersen
Lotte Andersen, an actress, began her theater career in 1984 at Dr. Dante and was affiliated with Aveny Teatret until 2002, where she was, among other things, one of the driving forces behind the theater concert-Gasolin, directed by Nikolaj Cederholm. She has performed on stages such as Østre Gasværk, Betty Nansen, the Royal Danish Opera, and the Barbican Theatre. In 2011, she was nominated for a Reumert Award for Best Female Lead in *Lykkebjørn*. Through her production company SONGBIRDS, she has created productions such as *RADIUM* and *Carl & Marie*. She made her debut in Ole Bornedal’s *Nattevagten* (1994) and has appeared in both film and television, including in series such as *Forbrydelsen*, *Rita*, and *Bedrag*. She was a screenwriter on *Oh Happy Day* (2004) and the author of the epistolary novel *Carl and Marie* in 2018.
Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen
Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen is a Danish-American saxophonist, vocalist, and composer, and she will be performing at the festival with her husband, bassist Tom Blancarte. She also performs in, among other groups, a saxophone quartet with Tamio Shiraishi, Matt Nelson, and Chris Pitsiokos, and serves as the leader and composer for the Danish impro-no-wave band Sweet Banditry and the duo The Home of Easy Credit. Eckardt Jensen has toured the U.S., Europe, and Japan and runs the record label Marsken Records together with Tom Blancarte. In addition to being a performing artist, she teaches at institutions such as the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen.
The Reading Society, Ribe
LæseSelskabet, Ribe is an organization dedicated to promoting the joy of reading, fostering literary communities, and encouraging reading through activities such as story nights, literary salons, and “Knit & Listen” events. Henrik Lykke, Anette Jensen, and Bodil Sixhøj Hyldahl from LæseSelskabet will be reading aloud at the festival.
Nightingale String Quartet
The Nightingale String Quartet was formed in the spring of 2007 and consists of Gunvor Sihm and Josefine Dalsgaard on violin, Marie Louise Broholt Jensen on viola, and Louisa Schwab on cello. All four are graduates of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where Tim Frederiksen was their mentor and chamber music teacher. With their recordings of Rued Langgaard’s complete works for string quartet, released by Dacapo, they have garnered significant international attention from music magazines such as BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone. In 2010, they received DR’s Talent Award, and in 2013, DR’s P2 Award for the best Danish release, as well as the 2013 Critics’ Circle Artist Award. In 2014, they became the first ensemble to be named Gramophone’s “Young Artist of the Year.” All members of the quartet have taken turns serving on the jury for the Rued Langgaard Competition.
Peter Hvas Thomsen
Peter Hvas Thomsen is a vocal teacher and choir director with many years of experience in choral and music education. He currently directs the Horsens Men’s Choir and the Musvidderne youth choir in Aarhus and is known for his energetic, playful, and inclusive approach to choral work. His musical work spans both classical and popular repertoires, and he is currently pursuing further training in classical choral conducting at the conservatory.
Philip Schmidt-Madsen
Philip Schmidt-Madsen is organist at Sct. Matthæus Church in Vesterbro in Copenhagen. He studied church music and organ at Det Kgl. Danish Academy of Music and Hochschule für Künste in Bremen and made his debut from the soloist class in 2013. He has won numerous awards and performs extensively in both Denmark and Europe. He is also a choir producer, accompanist, and guest conductor for the Sankt Annæ Girls’ Choir, artistic director of the concert organization Pro Musica Copenhagen, and, since 2013, has been a part-time instructor in liturgical and solo organ at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Danish Academy of Music.
Philip has recorded works by Langgaard and others on the record label Naxos and is on the board of the Langgaard Society.
Signe Asmussen
Signe Asmussen, soprano, is a frequently featured soloist with orchestras throughout the country. Her keen interest in chamber music and contemporary compositions has led to countless CD recordings and an ongoing, close collaboration with the country’s chamber ensembles. With repeated engagements at both the Royal Danish Theater and the Jutland Opera, and as a permanent member of Guido Paevatalu’s chamber opera company “GuidOpera” and Carol Conrad and Thomas Koppel’s “Operettekompagniet,” she maintains an extensive touring schedule that takes her to music halls and theaters throughout the country.
Signe Hørmann Sørensen
Signe Hørmann Sørensen is a director and performing artist who focuses on music-theatrical works and sensory, cross-aesthetic forms of storytelling. She works with sound, the body, and text as equal elements in the performing arts and is known for her collaborative creative processes. As artist-in-residence at Aveny T during the 2023/24 season, she created and curated several productions, including *Min mor siger*, *Fuck You Account*, and *Grubleren*. She has also directed at venues such as Aveny T, GLAD Teater, Teater V, and Teatret ved Sorte Hest.
At times
Stundom is a Danish folk music trio featuring Jonas Frølund as guest soloist. The trio performs Nordic music inspired by traditional Danish music blended with classical chamber music and modern symphonic elements. The trio’s members—Emma Elmøe (violin), Villads Hoffmann (citar), and Julian Svejgaard (piano)—share a unique musical chemistry and an ability to create captivating melodies.
The Folk Music Program at SDMK
The Folk Music Program at the South Danish Music Conservatory (SDMK) is based in Esbjerg and is commonly known as “Folkekons.” The program offers in-depth instruction in traditional and innovative folk music. Students from the folk music program will be performing at this year’s festival.
South Jutland Symphony Orchestra
The South Jutland Symphony Orchestra is a touring regional orchestra with 65 full-time musicians, whose roots date back to 1936. The orchestra performs about 150 events a year: symphony concerts, as well as concerts in churches, schools, high schools, and for families. In addition, it performs concerts with local amateur choirs, annual joint concerts with the Schleswig-Holstein Symphony Orchestra, and concerts with high school choirs from across the region. The South Jutland Symphony Orchestra accompanies the Jutland Opera’s performances throughout the region and regularly participates in broadcasts on DR P2. Furthermore, the orchestra regularly records CDs, including for the labels Danacord and Dacapo.
Thomas Dausgaard
Thomas Dausgaard is one of Denmark’s most internationally renowned conductors and has led a wide range of the world’s leading orchestras. He is the chief and guest conductor of, among others, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony; honorary conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra; and currently Principal Guest Conductor of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Madrid. Dausgaard is a passionate interpreter of Nordic music and has played a pivotal role in the international dissemination of Rued Langgaard’s works through concerts, critical new editions, and award-winning recordings. His extensive discography includes more than 100 releases, and he is known for his curious and visionary approach to both the core classical repertoire and overlooked musical treasures.
Tobias Ringborg
Tobias Ringborg is a Swedish conductor and violinist with an extensive international career in opera and symphonic music. After winning the Swedish Soloist Prize in 1994, he embarked on a successful career as a violinist before shifting his focus to conducting in 2000. He has conducted at numerous opera houses in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and New Zealand, with a particular focus on Mozart and the Italian opera repertoire. Tobias Ringborg is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and received the Herbert Blomstedt Prize in 2010.
Tom Blancarte
Tom Blancarte is an American/Danish bassist, improviser, and composer with roots in New York’s experimental music scene. He has toured internationally for more than 20 years as a soloist and with a wide range of ensembles. Today he lives in Denmark, where he is active as a musician, educator, researcher, and founder of the record label Marsken Records.
Torben Krebs
Torben Krebs performs extensively in Denmark, Europe, and the United States. He also serves as the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs’ organ consultant for Western Denmark. As a soloist and chamber musician, he performs across classical and popular genres and is one of Denmark’s most active promoters of organ music.
Triinu Piirsalu
Triinu Piirsalu is an Estonian violinist. In December 2025, she won first prize as well as three special prizes at the Estonian String Competition, and in February 2026, she gave her debut concert at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. In her concert programs, Triinu often combines the classical repertoire with traditional folk music and occasionally brings the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle on stage as well.
Youth Choir Aarhus U
The Aarhus U Youth Choir is a mixed youth choir based at Aarhus Cathedral, consisting of 40 young singers aged 15–25. Under the direction of Jonas Rasmussen, the choir has established itself as a key player in the Danish vocal music scene. The choir is known for its genre-exploring approach to its repertoire and moves effortlessly between classical, rhythmic, folk music, and everything in between. The choir has released several recordings and won numerous choir competitions.
The Winner of the 2026 Rued Langgaard Competition
The guitar-and-voice duo featuring Siri Sofia Glasdam Jakobsen, soprano, and Nichlas Overgaard, guitar, from the Royal Danish Academy of Music won first prize at this year’s Rued Langgaard Competition 2026 and, as a result, a concert at the Rued Langgaard Festival 2026. Nichlas Overgaard himself arranged the selected works by Langgaard for guitar and voice duo.
