Since I had some serious problems moving my web site to a new host, and during this time wasn’t able to blog or update my site, I thought a small summary of what’s happened since then would be appropriate.
Biggest topic of course: I’ve moved back to Sweden again, after a very nice year in Austria. Being home feels very good, I’ve been lucky enough to get things going pretty fast after I came back, musically as well as privately, and I’m very optimistic about the future as well.
The fact that my German has significantly improved is one of the things I’m taking with me from Austria, it feels great to, although far from perfect, be able to communicate in a new language, and I’m taking every chance I get.
Euro 2008
Fanzone Vienna
A big event for me down there was the Euro 2008, the atmosphere was amazing and I walked on clouds during the weeks of football this summer. Hangin’ around in the Vienna fanzone really was something special. Unfortunately it wasn’t the best year for Sweden, but looking back on the final results of the tournament, our group really wasn’t an easy one. I’m glad the winners were Spain though, something I forecasted before the tournament (Yes I know, hard to prove that now, you just have to take my word for it!), although I didn’t bet any money on it.
Musically
Here it’s a lot to remember, all the get-togethers and concerts with Vienna Jazz Composers, our gigs with Beate Wiesinger, all the long rehearsals (!) and concerts with Moontrane and all the other bands I played with once in a while. I also remember the saxophone lessons with my good friend and teacher Klaus Dickbauer and the friday morning sessions with piano player Erwin Smith.
Lungau Big Band & Tony Momrelle
Me & Tony after the show
One gig in particular that I’m gonna remember is the one with Lungau Big Band featuring Incognito lead singer Tony Momrelle on the big stage at fan zone Salzburg, the day before the Euro 2008 final. Playing the lead alto together with this great big band and with this totally amazing singer is something that really meant a lot to me and, together with other experiences, showed that it’s possible to move somewhere else and still get the chance to play some great music, something that in the end made me believe more in myself and what I’m doing.
Back in Sweden
Now I’ve got plans to start a band of my own and have started composing music, which feels both exciting and scary since I haven’t composed music in a pretty long while. I really look forward to this though. This is part of my examination project at the Royal college of music, and will hopefully end up into my examination concert upcoming spring. Stay tuned for updates on this!