Professor GUSTAF SJÖKVIST – b.1943, Conductor

Professor Sjökvist studied Church Music Performance and Conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm during 1963-1970, where his studies included Choral Conducting for Eric Ericson and Graduate Studies in Orchestral Conducting for Sixten Ehrling and Karl Miinchinger, among others.

In 1967 Prof. Sjökvist was appointed Cathedral Cantor at the Stockholm Cathedral, and since 1981 is the Cathedral Organist (Domkapellmeister) and Coordinator of the Stockholm Cathedral's choral and concert activities.

Since 1967 Prof. Sjökvist has been the conductor of the Stockholm Cathedral Choir with which he has toured extensively throughout Italy, Poland, France, Austria, England, USA and Australia. During many years he has also been the leader of the vocal group Camerata Holmiae specialising in pre-Baroque and contemporary music.

Prof Sjökvist was the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director for the Swedish Radio Choir 1986-1994. Together with this ensemble he has produced a number of recordings and toured in countries such as the former Soviet Union, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia. He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Radio Choir at the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Radio) in Munich since 1994.

Prof. Sjökvist had guest performances with a range of professional choirs throughout Europe, including the radio choirs of Copenhagen, Cologne and Hamburg as well as the French Radio Choir in Paris. Gustaf Sjökvist’s Chamber Choir was formed in 1994. With this group

Prof. Sjökvist has made a number of CD recordings, collaborated with artists such as Edita Gruberova, Barbara Hendricks and Håkan Hagegård as well as toured to Taiwan and twice to the USA. The choir specialises in modern contemporary music.

Since the mid-1970´s Prof. Sjökvist has committed half of his engagements to orchestral guest conducting. In addition to the orchestras within Scandinavia with which he has been Guest Conductor he has conducted a number of German orchestras, the BBC in London and orchestras in USA and Australia.

Prof. Sjökvist has made over forty CD recordings and participated in a range of radio and TV programs both in Sweden and overseas. During the 1980´s Prof. Sjökvist was Guest Conductor at the Royal Opera in Stockholm specialising in the contemporary operatic repertoire.

Prof. Sjökvist is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music since 1988. In 1991 he was appointed Professor by the Swedish Government, and in 1998 he was awarded the Royal Medal Litteris et Artibus.