Ensemble Neo

This ensemble was founded in January 2007, with a grant from the Swedish Arts Council, the municipalities of Piteå and Luleå, and Norrbotten County Council. The ensemble is the only one of its kind in Sweden, having the aim of promoting contemporary art music in Sweden. The word ’Neo’ simply means ’new’ and reflects both the music performed and the experiences offered to the audiences.

The ensemble consists of seven musicians employed full-time, and counts the small town of Piteå, in the north of Sweden, as its home base within the County Councils’ own music institution Norrbottensmusiken.

Norrbotten NEO performs contemporary music at international level, in a manner which is exciting and which reaches out to newcomers as well as to experienced listeners. Norrbotten NEO works with young and more established composers alike, from Sweden and abroad, and is commissioning new works on a constant basis. Since its launch, Norrbotten NEO
has premiered more than one hundred works. The ensemble has had successful participations at festivals such as MADE, Stockholm New Music, Sound of Stockholm, Nordiska Musikdagarna and Nordlys. The ensemble has performed alongside folk musician and dramatist Svante Lindqvist and plays classical core repertoire as well.

Concerts in community centres, and children’s projects, form part of Norrbotten NEO’s remit. The ensemble is a constituent part of Piteå Chamber Opera’s performances, while its musicians are section leaders in Norrbotten’s Chamber Orchestra, as well as part of the academic staff at the School of Music in Piteå.