Bengt Ollén

Bengt Ollén in 2013

Bengt Ollén, born 17 August 1950 in Lidköping, is a Swedish choral conductor, music teacher, adjudicator and lecturer. In 1995 Ollén founded Sofia Vokalensemble that has emerged as one of the world's leading amateur choirs.

Career

Bengt Ollén's choir Sofia Vokalensemble in 2014

After studying Mechanical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg Ollén received his Master's Degree in 1976. After briefly working at Swedish ball-bearing company SKF in Gothenburg he decided that he loved music more than mechanics. Ollén then studied music at the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden for professors Gösta Ohlin and Gunnar Eriksson. In 1981 he founded the still active vocal ensemble Amanda in Gothenburg, and in 1995 he founded Sofia Vokalensemble in Stockholm, that won the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2012.[1] In 2015 Sveriges Radio, the Swedish public-broadcasting system, appointed Sofia Vokalensemble under Bengt Ollén as Sweden's representative in Let the Peoples Sing (LTPS), an international choir competition organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).[2]

Ollén works as choral conductor and teacher in choral singing at Stockholms Musikgymnasium, a highly competitive High School program combining Natural and Social Science programs with advanced choral courses. Stockholms Musikgymnasium accepts students based on a combination of grade point average, singing auditions and tests in music theory.[3] In the 14th International Choir Competition in Budapest, Hungary in 2013 a Stockholms Musikgymnasium class choir directed by Ollén participated in three categories (Mixed choirs, Male choirs and Female choirs) and won gold in all, plus the Grand Prix for the entire competition.[4] Ollén is frequently invited as guest lecturer and choir conductor at universities, choir festivals and concerts in Sweden and abroad, and as judge at international choral competitions.[5]

Personal life

Ollén lives in Stockholm but spends a lot of time in Dala-Floda where he owns an old cottage and sometimes helps to arrange concerts.[6][7] He is married and has an adult daughter.

References

  1. ↑ "European Grand Prix for Choral Music 2012: the Winner is....". The International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM). 27 April 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "We’re in the final!". Sofia Vokalensemble. 26 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-04-05.
  3. ↑ "Sjung ut!" (in Swedish). Stockholms stad. Archived from the original on 2015-06-05.
  4. ↑ "14th International Choir Competition, Budapest, Hungary" (PDF). Interkultur. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-18.
  5. ↑ "Conductor Bengt Ollén". Sofia Vokalensemble. Archived from the original on 2014-09-15.
  6. ↑ Lovisa Svenn (1 August 2009). "Framgångskör inbjuder till konsert" (in Swedish). Dalarnas Tidningar (local Swedish newspaper). Archived from the original on 2015-06-16.
  7. ↑ Kent Olsson (27 June 2014). "Högklassig final – och ett vågspel" (in Swedish). Dalarnas Tidningar (local Swedish newspaper). Archived from the original on 2014-08-12.

External links

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