Apply now!

Even though the snow is still missing, Christmas is approaching, and at Ingesund School of Music preparations are underway for the school’s traditional Christmas concert at Arvika Sports Hall. A festive atmosphere framed by a charitable cause, inspired by the prominent visit of Musikhjälpen at Stora Torget in Karlstad, is promised.

Is there a special theme for Ingesund’s Christmas concert this year?

…you are enrolled in the Master’s Programme in Music and the Bachelor’s Programme in Music at Ingesund School of Music. This past weekend, you took home first and second prize in the prestigious Anders Wall Music Prize 2025. Congratulations! What do these achievements mean for your future careers?

"Winning Anders Wall’s Music Prize feels both fantastic and almost unreal, says Sebastian Iivonen, student in the Artistic Master’s Programme in Music. I am deeply honored to receive such a significant and prestigious award and scholarship, and to stand alongside the other inspiring Anders Wall scholarship recipients. This distinction means an incredible amount for my future career as a concert pianist – not only because the prize carries such impressive weight and tradition, but also because it brings recognition to young musicians in a way that truly makes a difference.

Pianist Sebastian Iivonen is enrolled in the Artistic Master’s Program for Musicians at Ingesund School of Music. He has just completed a semifinal in the Solistpriset, Sweden’s foremost soloist competition and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s largest award for young musicians, presented every two years.

“I’m so satisfied and happy to have participated. I did my best and was well prepared, so I’m pleased with my performance. I was able to enjoy it and played from the heart.”

What is it like to compete in such a major competition?

What does your life actually sound like? Jenny Wilson, adjunct professor at Ingesund School of Music, believes that your personal life journey is the most exciting thing about you as a songwriter, producer, and artist. What is your story, and how do you share it? Daring to experiment with music is something close to Jenny’s heart, and she will continue doing just that with the students in the music production program for another year, with support of the Wettergren Foundation.

Throughout your career, you’ve created productions and works that reflect your life. Some parts include traumas you’ve experienced. Hasn’t it been scary and difficult to make your experiences public?

What are the similarities and differences between Sweden and India when it comes to musical traditions and working as a music teacher in India? Gunnel Holmgren, a teacher in the music education program at Ingesund School of Music, has visited India twice, including Karlstad University's Indian Study Center in Varanasi and Study Point in Dharamsala. There, she met Bilambita Banisudha, Head of the Department of Music at Sikkim University in Gangtok, who is visiting Ingesund School of Music during September.

Bilambita Banisudha is an experienced academic and musician specializing in Hindustani classical and semi-classical music from India. She holds a PhD in Hindustani vocal music from Banaras Hindu University. Her academic background also includes a master’s degree from Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata and a bachelor’s degree with honors from Vishva-Bharati in Shantiniketan, a central Indian university founded in 1921 by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

The time is here – the building is coming back to life, and we are truly looking forward to welcoming you here at Ingesund School of Music. After a summer with an unusual amount of sunshine, we hope you’ve had the chance to rest, gather inspiration, and recharge for a new academic year.

We who work here are excited to once again fill the building with music, curiosity, and the wonderful sense of community we call the “Ingesund spirit.”

Warm welcome to a new academic year!

Mats Gustavii, Head of Ingesund School of Music