"A Musical Postcard from Stockholm 1654-1783"   Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has for centuries hosted many interesting and recognized musicians. The royal court, kings and queens, nobles and others have protected and encouraged these musicians, even through difficult times of war, famine, plague and severe weather conditions. A rich treasure of music is preserved which tells about the music that has been played in Sweden and throughout Europe over the years. This music also shows how closely Sweden was connected to the rest of Europe, both culturally and socially. In this program historical music from Stockholm, among others by von Düben, Roman, Kraus and Uttini, is performed, fantastic music that has rarely or perhaps never been played in modern times! Part of the music also originates from the time when Estonia was a part of the Swedish nation!   "Ensemble Utile Dulci"     Rebecka Karlsson - baroque violin, leader Kristine West - travesrso, recorder Ulrika Westerberg - baroque violin Karin Ahnlund - baroque viola Mirjam Pfeiffer - baroque cello Marju Riisikamp - harpsichord       Rebecka Karlsson - baroque violin, leader   Rebecka has studied violin with Anna Lindal and baroque violin with Ann Wallström at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. She has been an exchange student at the Conservatorio di Musica G. B. Martini in Bologna, Italy, where she studied violin with maestro Carlo Ricci, and has studied baroque violin at the master level with Professor Anton Steck at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, Germany. Besides this, Rebecka has participated in master classes with Stefano Montanari and Rachel Podger. Now Rebecka is a freelance violinist, based in Stockholm. She has played with ensembles like Hofkapelle München and Hassler Consort, and plays regularly with Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Göteborg Baroque and Karlsson Baroque. Since spring 2012, Rebecka is a permanent member of the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble and she has the baroque ensemble "Freedom, Baroque and Sisterhood" together with the viola player Karin Ahnlund and the cellist Mirjam Pfeiffer. Rebecka is also often engaged as a soloist and concertmaster.    Kristine West - traverso, recorder with roots in the lush forests of Hälsingland and a firm foundation in folk music, has ventured out into the realms of Early Music, Art Music, and World Music to establish herself as one of the foremost instrumentalists of her generation. Tone and timbre are central to her expression, aspects that continue to transform her musical voice. After completing her Master of Arts at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, she has been a freelance musician with various chamber ensembles and orchestras, both as a soloist and a member of the ensemble playing recorders, baroque flute, various transverse flutes and whistles. Kristine has released 3 CDs which have been internationally renown.   Ulrika Westerberg - baroque violin Ulrika has played the violin since she was 9 years old. During the eighties, Ulrika studied violin at Göteborg musikhögskola in the violin class of Eugen Bitto and Malmö musikhögskola in the first class of Barockmusik interpretation. At the age of 23 she got a permanent orchestra job in the Helsingborg symphony orchestra. Her interest in cultural history and older times led her in to the baroque music, and the baroque music took her to many countries in Europe. She has been touring with the European Baroque Orchestra, Le Concert Spirituel, Nederlandse Bachverenigen, Les Arts Florissants and Norsk Barokkorkester. She has produced her own concerts for example at Confidencen slottsteater, Svartsjö slott and numerous churches and concertseries in Sweden. She has produced some solo recordings, lately with the Tre Kronor Barock Ensemble, with music from the Düben Collection in Uppsala. At the moment her core work is chamber music and cooperations with churches and their choirs. Ulrika is also establishing a career as a fine arts painter.     Karin Ahnlund - baroque viola   Karin was graduated with soloist diploma at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH). Her teacher was Professor Gösta Finnström. Karin has also studied viola and chamber music at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. She made her debut with Bartok's viola concerto and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Västerås Sinfonietta, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and Musica Vitae. Karin was a member of the Zetterqvist-Gotland Quartet for fifteen years and that toured extensively in Sweden and Europe and did several praised recordings, including the highly acclaimed Stenhammarboxen together with the Freskkvartetten and the Copenhagen String Quartet. Karin has been a sectional leader in Musica Vitae, sectional leader in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and is now the leader of the viola section of the Royal Swedish Orchestra. Karin has also been teaching the viola and chamber music, privately, in summer courses together with the Gotland Quartet and at the Mälardalens Högskola. Since 2015 Karin is teaching viola and chamber music at Södra Latins gymnasium in Stockholm. Karin is also trained as music therapist at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Karin has been active as a baroque viola player since 2017 and has collaborated extensively with Rebecka Karlsson and Mirjam Pfeiffer in the baroque ensemble "Freedom, Baroque and Sisterhood".     Mirjam Pfeiffer - baroque cello  Mirjam has studied cello at the Academy of Music in Weimar and Dresden with Brunhard Böhme and Peter Bruns as teachers. In connection with this, she studied baroque cello for Kristin von der Goltz at the Academy of Music in Munich and completed her studies with a concert diploma. Mirjam has worked with various orchestras in Germany, among others in the Staatskapelle Dresden and the orchestra Anima Eterna in Belgium. She has been a member of the chamber music ensemble "Il capriccio" with which she made several CD recordings. In addition, Mirjam has taught at the special music school "Latina" in Halle / Saale. Since 2007, Mirjam is employed as a cellist in the Hovkapellet at the Royal Opera in Stockholm. She plays a lot of chamber music in different contexts and preferably older music on baroque cello. In addition, she is active as a cello teacher by private teaching but also as a teacher at the music school "Lilla Akademien" in Stockholm. Since 2019, Mirjam is part of the ensemble "Freedom, Baroque and Sisterhood" and explores, among other things Swedish baroque music from the 18th century together with Rebecka Karlsson violin and Karin Ahnlund viola.   Marju Riisikamp - harpsichord Marju has graduated as a pianist from the Estonian Academy of Theatre and Music in 1982. Next to her studies as a pianist she took an early interest in older keyboard instruments: clavichord, harpsichord and organ. From 1994 on she has regularly taken classes in Italy with the renowned early music theorist and instrumentalist Christopher Stembridge. Marju Riisikamp has studied at several master courses by K.Gilbert, D.Hunter, B.Leighton, P.van Dijk, E.Bellotti, L.F.Tagliavini, J.Raas, E.Parmentier, B.van Asperen, M.Spaans. Next to solo recitals she regularly performes in different ensembles and orchestras, as well as accompanies various vocal soloists and instrumentalists. She has performed in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, England, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, France, Italy, Russia, Lithuania and Latvia. She has been a regular performer on historic organs in Italy. In 2000 Marju Riisikamp became master´s degree in harpsichord at the Estonian Academy of music and has given during 7 years lectures about early music performance in the same institution. She has recorded two CD-s with music by Gabrieli, Merulo, Gibbons, Byrd, Valente, de Macque, Mayone and Frescobaldi. On organ and clavichord she has recorded 16th century Italian and English music for Estonian Radio. Marju Riisikamp is prepareing herself to graduate in PhD at the Estonian Academy of Theatre and Music. The topic of her dissertation is the structure and rhythmical freedom in the toccatas of Girolamo Frescobaldi. Riisikamp has regularly received financial support from Estonian Kultuurkapital. At the moment she is working as parish organist in the St.Martin church in Türi. She plays concerts as freelancer and writes articles for Estonian main music magazines.