In July 2019, we welcome you to the third edition of the Järna Festival Academy. What began as a small series of summer masterclasses and a handful of concerts has evolved into a chamber music festival of international standards. This summer the Järna Festival Academy will be comprised of 32 public events, not counting the 24 public masterclasses that are held during the festival week!
When we founded JFA, we had three motivational goals: To create the ideal conditions for achieving the highest artistic quality for both students and visiting artists, to function as a progressive festival guided by our values regarding climate change, our environment and gender equality, and finally, facilitating the potential of the arts as a positive force for the betterment of our society. We must not disconnect and look inwards but instead, with the help of music, arts and sciences, contribute to an in-depth discussion about the subjects that define our present day.
These ambitions have manifested in various ways in this year’s festival program, a clear example of which is the thematic series Imaginary Alien. In Imaginary Alien, we place the notion of empathy, as well as all of its logical shortcomings and peculiarities, under scrutiny. Six concerts, four lectures and a film showing explore topics such as national borders, misguided empathy and aging.
We find it of great importance that JFA is available to all listeners and this year we have an extended program for families with children. Family-days include concerts designed for young listeners as well as fun activities in the local area. We welcome you to try instruments, yoga and sample the locally produced foods and goods. For the slightly older audience we have activities such as architectural and environmental walks. In line with this, the cooperation with el Sistema in Södertälje, which began last year, is being further developed to include a family perspective.
For our international audience and those who are not able to visit us in Järna, most of the festival will be broadcasted free of charge on the internet via our live-streaming service. The internet audience can experience our world-class artists and ensembles in eight chamber music concerts, five intimate evening concerts, a jazz concert, six student concerts and an opera performance. Not too bad for a three-year-old! None of this would be possible without you, our audience, and the support of public and private organisations and institutions.
The Järna Festival Academy is, despite its young age, already a force to be reckoned with and we have many surprises planned for the coming years. Right now, however, our focus is on making a fantastic festival this summer. We aim to fill the Kulturhuset i Ytterjärna with a combination of earnestness and playfulness and invite musicians, students and our dear audiences alike to experience the unique and thought provoking adventures that is Järna Festival Academy 2019.