projects
Dreamers’ Circus thrives on collaboration, exploration, and new ideas. These projects — from orchestras and stage works to festivals and education — reflect our vision for New Nordic music: rooted in tradition, open to innovation, and always connected to community.
Appointed Special Ensemble
Since 2021 Dreamers’ Circus have been a Special Ensemble appointed by the Danish Arts Foundation — a distinction designed to support musicians in developing creatively and professionally. There are currently seven ensembles drawn from a wide 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".
We see 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 community 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
Music for Stage
Beyond the concert hall, we have written music for major stage productions in theatre and dance. Highlights include:
Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conqueror) at Østre Gasværk Teater — a new adaptation of Martin Andersen Nexø’s classic novel.
De Fortabte… (The Lost…) with Aaben Dans — a contemporary dance performance exploring human vulnerability and resilience.
These projects extend our New Nordic sound into storytelling and movement, reaching audiences in new ways and showing the versatility of folk-inspired music.
Orchestras & Ensembles
Our very first concert together in 2009 was with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, where Rune was concertmaster. Two years later, we joined the orchestra on a seven-concert tour of Denmark and Sweden with 60 Minutes of Dreams.
Since then, we have written and performed around three hours of music for symphony orchestra, string orchestra, and chamber ensembles — always with New Nordic music as the centre of gravity. These works explore how folk roots, improvisation, and classical structures can merge into something new.
Highlights include a close collaboration with violinist Pekka Kuusisto around Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, where together we explore the dialogue between classical masterworks and New Nordic expressions.
Today, orchestral and ensemble collaborations remain central to our artistic life, expanding the reach of our music into concert halls and festivals across Scandinavia and beyond.
Town musicians in Roskilde
Roskilde is a university city about 30 kilometres west of Copenhagen, known internationally for its magnificent 12th-century cathedral, its Viking Ship Museum, and its world-famous music festival. It is also the hometown of Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen from Dreamers’ Circus, where he first began his musical journey.
From 2021 to 2024, Dreamers’ Circus had the honour of serving as Stadsmusikanter (town musicians) in Roskilde — a tradition dating back to 1669. This artist-in-residence role allowed us to collaborate closely with the city and its vibrant cultural life, carrying forward Roskilde’s long history as a centre of Danish folk music and dance.
Today, our collaboration with Roskilde Kommune continues in new formats, working on project-based initiatives that connect us with musicians, dancers, singers, and creative people across the region. We remain deeply engaged with Roskilde’s cultural community and proud to be part of a tradition that bridges past and present.
Handed On - educational project
Folk music is a living tradition, passed from person to person. With Handed On, we wanted to give something back to the tradition that shaped us.
We wrote and compiled 58 tunes in a traditional style, ranging from simple to advanced, with the aim of opening doors for musicians of all ages and levels. Teachers, students, and professionals all over the globe are already using the collection as a source of inspiration and renewal.
For more information and to access the materials, visit the Handed On website.
Folkets Festival
Folkets Festival is our celebration of New Nordic folk music, created in collaboration with VEGA in Copenhagen.
The festival brings folk music back to Folkets Hus — today known as VEGA — placing it on equal footing with rock, pop, and electronic music. Here, leading musicians from across the Nordic countries meet emerging talents in concerts, dance, and jam sessions that connect tradition with renewal.
As co-creators and curators, we help shape a program that builds bridges across borders and generations, showing that folk music is not only heritage but a vibrant art form that speaks directly to the present.
For more information, visit the Folkets Festival website.