Hello there, Sebastian Iivonen and Herman Pellbäck…
2025-11-24…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. I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity and the trust that has been shown to me."
"Of course, it’s fun to make it to the final and compete for prizes, but being competitive, you’d rather not come second! says Herman Pellbäck, student in the Artistic Bachelor’s Programme in Music. I can only congratulate Sebastian on his success and look forward to more challenges ahead. For the future, this definitely means a lot of motivation to keep working and developing as much as possible."
Once again, warm congratulations from Ingesund School of Music and Karlstad University!
A total of six students from Ingesund School of Music participated in the semifinal of Anders Wall’s Music Prize 2025 with the piano theme: Julie Haismann, Astri Aareskjold, Nikita Khnykhin, Francis Karpeskis, and of course the finalists Sebastian Iivonen and Herman Pellbäck. They are all among Sweden’s 10 best young pianists.