projects
Appointed Special Ensemble
Since 2021 Dreamers’ Circus have been a Special Ensemble appointed by the Danish Arts Foundation. This is a funding strand that is designed to encourage musicians to develop creatively and professionally. There are currently seven ensembles drawn from a range of musical genres.
The Danish Arts Foundation state:
“We have wanted to develop and broaden the ensemble area and, among other things, have expanded the number of specialist ensembles. We have made the area more diverse with a wider range of musical genres. We already have fine special ensembles and foundational ensembles in the classical music area, and with these new special ensembles, they should work towards ensuring high artistic quality and act as an inspiration and beacons for a rich musical life throughout the country".
Dreamers’ Circus view this appointment as a recognition not just for our own work but also for a much wider musical community in the folk and roots music genre area in Denmark.
This is our long term vision:
Everyone in Denmark should have knowledge of and access to Danish traditional music and new Nordic music in general.
We challenge ourselves as artists by pushing creative boundaries in composition and performance of new Nordic music, rooted in tradition, to the highest artistic standards.
We aim to grow audiences and influence emerging and developing artists in Denmark and beyond through artistic excellence and a strategic approach in working with a range of media and partners.
We want to establish Dreamers’ Circus as one of Denmark’s leading musical influencers and international cultural representatives.
Rammeaftale, Strategi & Årsrapporter
symphony orchestra
Our very first concert together in 2009 was at Rune’s soloist diploma concert with the Copenhagen Philharmonic where Rune was concert master at the time. In 2011 we were invited on a 7 concert tour entitled 60 minutes of Dreams with the same orchestra and we travelled around Denmark and Sweden.
Since then we have arranged and composed around three hours of music for the trio and symphony orchestra as well as smaller string orchestras and chamber ensembles, always with new Nordic music as the center of gravitation.
Town musicians in Roskilde
Roskilde is a university city about 30 kilometres west of Copenhagen and many may know of it for its magnificent 12th century cathedral, which is the burial place of the Danish royal family, or for its splendid Viking Ship Museum or its amazing annual music festival. Roskilde is also the homeplace of Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen from the band and it was in Roskilde he began his formation as a musician. So it is a cause of particular pleasure for us in Dreamers’ Circus to have been appointed “Stadsmusikanter” in Roskilde for a period of three years starting in January 2021. Stadsmusikanter translates literally as ‘town musicians,’ others may see it as a type of ‘artist in residence’ position. Either way, we’re honoured and delighted to be invited to be involved in this initiative. As far back as 1669 Roskilde engaged ‘town musicians’ so we’re not the first…
Much of the impetus that drove the re-kindling of interest in Danish folk music and dance came from people and organisations who were based in the Roskilde region and we are very conscious of the work they have done, and continue to do. We’re very much looking forward to engaging with a range of musicians, dancers, singers and creative people in Roskilde over the next three years. Ideas and suggestions for collaborations or ways in which people from the region might like to engage with Dreamers’ Circus are welcome.
Handed On - educational project
All of us share a deep love and respect for the traditional music that we grew up with in Denmark and Sweden. Folk music is fundamentally a social music, where interaction and transmission is essential for the music to function and survive. At the same time, another necessity is for tradition to be flexible and adapt so it stays relevant to the people, time, place and context where it exists.
This led us to this project that we call ’Handed On’. We recognise we’re part of an unbroken line of people who have shaped and shared their music across borders in time and space. And without these people, the music that we love so dearly wouldn’t exist today. In an attempt of contributing to the tradition and giving something back, we’ve written and compiled 58 tunes in a more traditional style, ranging from simple beginner tunes to more advanced. Our dream is that these tunes can open doors to this style of music, serving as a source of inspiration to delve further into the tradition and help renew it.
Perhaps you are a music teacher looking for folk music material, perhaps you already are a skilled musician but are new to the genre, or perhaps you’re five years old just starting out on a life-long journey in music. Whoever you are, we hope that you will take in this material, play it the way you feel like and share what you enjoy with others. Ultimately it is the the players, musicians, singers and dancers like yourselves who determine what becomes part of the tradition and what, in turn, will be handed on.
Visit the Handed On website for more information.