INTONAL/Olibanum: Hara Alonso & Ellen Söderhult + Petra Hermanova - Malmö Konstmuseum

Throughout the year, we collaborate with Malmö Konstmuseum to host the Olibanum series. For the Intonal Olibanum, we invite you to stroll through the gardens of Kungsparken to Malmöhus Slott, the 16th century castle that now houses the museum and its beautiful Skovgaardsalen concert room. Doors: 13:30 On stage: 14:00 Entry: free with festival pass, regular museum entry (60:-) without This year’s program features: Between skin and sound, grief and transcendence—Hara Alonso, Ellen Söderhult, and Petra Hermanova summon worlds where the body and the spectral entwine. Alonso and Söderhult’s *𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱•𝓶𝓮•𝓷𝓸𝓽* ripples with tactile resonance, stretching piano, voice, and movement into a shimmering, corporeal soundscape. Meanwhile, Hermanova’s solemn autoharp and ghostly organs carve hymns from loss, echoing through time with aching beauty. Hara Alonso & Ellen Söderhult 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱•𝓶𝓮•𝓷𝓸𝓽 The Stockholm-based, Spanish pianist, composer, and sound artist Hara Alonso creates immersive soundscapes where granular textures, minimal rhythms, and hypnotic layers converge with a striking micro-lyrical presence. Having redefined the piano as a sonic playground – blending extended techniques, somatic practices, and signal processing to expand its possibilities – her sonic universe can also be described as, ”gloomy bubbling electronic power ambient.” Alonso’s music explores memory, space, and imagination, showcased in festivals worldwide through solo performances, sound installations, and ensemble works. Her collaborations span dance and free jazz, working with choreographers like Pontus Pettersson and musicians such as Susana Santos Silva. Presenting a live version of her new work 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱•𝓶𝓮•𝓷𝓸𝓽 – a collaboration with Ellen Söderhult on voice & guitar – it emerges as a reflection on the corporeal and interwoven relationship between the skin and the surrounds. Petra Hermanova The Berlin-based, Czech singer and composer works primarily with the autoharp, also utilizing voice and pipe organ, in techniques from both folk and sacred traditions to grapple with the spiritual and earthly dimensions of devastating loss and bereavement. With her solo debut In Death​’​s Eyes – released October of 2023 on the Unguarded label – she displays a disciplined display of beauty, pain, and astute musicianship. Featuring the acclaimed German organist Denny Wilke playing the Ladegast organ of the Merseburg Cathedral, the album was nominated for several awards, including the Czech Grammy, and has been presented at numerous contemporary music festivals. She has toured internationally with previous projects including extensive sound and visual collaborations with Norwegian percussionist/composer/vocalist Jon Eirik Boska, as well as her critically acclaimed band Fiordmoss. For this year’s Intonal, Hermanova presents several pieces from In Death​’​s Eyes in addition to a new organ composition, performed with Boska and drawn from her residency at the end of 2024 working on Malmö Konstmuseum’s 16th century pipe organ, one of the oldest fully operational in the world. Presented with support from: Tjeckiska Centret Stockholm Goethe Institut