Alban Faust is a luthier and player of traditional Swedish music, designated a Swedish Riksspelman ("musician of the realm") in 2009. [1] Born in Germany, Faust later moved to Dalsland, Mellerud, Sweden.
Since 1990 Faust has owned his own business, "Borduninstrument Alban Faust" (Alban Faust Drone Instruments), at which he produces säckpipa (Swedish bagpipes), as well as other types of French and German bagpipes. Faust is also a musician, and chairman of the folk music organisation Dalslands Spelmansförbund.
In summer, 2009, Faust played before a Swedish jury on the nyckelharpa and traditional mouthblown säckpipa, as well as demonstrating a bellows-blown säckpipa of his own invention, which he had invented to eliminate the effects of mouth-blown moisture on the pipe reeds, and allow the player to sing or speak while piping. The jury approved of his efforts, and Faust was awarded the silver Zorn Badge designating him a Riksspelman. [2]
Swedish bagpipes are a variety of bagpipes from Sweden. The term itself generically translates to "bagpipes" in Swedish, but is used in English to describe the specifically Swedish bagpipe from the Dalarna region.
Melodifestivalen is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959. In the early 2000s, the competition was the most popular television program in Sweden; it is also broadcast on radio and the Internet. In 2012, the heats averaged 3.3 million viewers, and over an estimated four million people in Sweden watched the final, almost half of the Swedish population.
Inge the Elder was a king of Sweden. In English literature he has also been called Ingold. While scant sources do not allow a full picture of his term of kingship, he is known to have led a turbulent but at length successful reign of more than two decades. He stands out as a devout Christian who founded the first abbey in Sweden and acted harshly against pagan practices. The kingdom was still an unstable realm based on alliances of noblemen, and Inge's main power base was in Västergötland and Östergötland; one of the earliest chronicles that mention his reign knows him as rex gautorum, king of the Geats.
"My Number One" is a song recorded by Greek-Swedish singer Helena Paparizou, written by Manos Psaltakis, Christos Dantis, Natalia Germanou and produced by Christos Dantis. It was the Greek winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, held in Kyiv, awarding the country its first victory in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Sven Fredrik Johannes Sixten is a Swedish composer, cathedral organist and conductor. Sixten was born in Skövde, Sweden. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (1986) at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. He studied composition with Professor Sven-David Sandström and is now recognized as one of Sweden's best-known composers of church music. He is published at all major publishing houses in Sweden.
Barbro Lindgren is a Swedish writer of children's books and books for adult readers. For her lasting contribution as a children's writer, Lindgren was a finalist for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004. Ten years later she won the annual Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The biggest cash prize in children's and young-adult literature, it rewards a writer, illustrator, oral storyteller, or reading promoter for its entire body of work.
The Zorn Badge is an award that is given to prominent folk musicians in Sweden. The prize is awarded by Svenska Folkdansringen, the Swedish national organization for traditional music, dance and handicraft.
"Hero" is a 2008 pop song performed by the Swedish singer Charlotte Perrelli, written by Fredrik Kempe and Bobby Ljunggren. It was entered into the Melodifestivalen 2008, winning at the Globen arena on 15 March 2008. Due to this, it represented Sweden at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia.
The title of riksspelman is a generally recognized badge of mastery for Swedish folk musicians. It is an honor bestowed upon bearers of the silver or gold Zorn Badge, awarded annually by the Zorn Jury, a panel of experts under the auspices of Svenska Folkdansringen. The silver Zorn Badge is the highest award attainable for musicians who play before the Zorn Jury in their annual Zorn Trials. The gold Zorn Badge cannot be sought, but is reserved for one or two master musicians pre-selected by the Jury.
C'est La Vie is the third studio album by Swedish singer and songwriter Johan Christher Schütz, released in May 2009 worldwide, with a pre-release in Japan in December 2008.
Pär Ericsson, sometimes spelled Pär Eriksson, is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Karlstad.
Ruben Östlund is a Swedish filmmaker best known for his black comedic and satirical films Force Majeure (2014), The Square (2017) and Triangle of Sadness (2022). He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Palmes d'Or, four European Film Awards and nominations for three Academy Awards.
Tingsek is a Swedish musician and producer from Södra Sandby, Sweden.
Olle Gällmo is a Swedish musician and riksspelman, known for his work in playing and promoting the säckpipa, or traditional Swedish bagpipe.
David Seisay is a Swedish-American songwriter, musician and entrepreneur who became known as a rapper in Rob'n'Raz but is also known for his career as a personal trainer. He is the founder and CEO of D-Flex House of Fitness, a company that provides health and wellness services.
Melodifestivalen 2012 is a Swedish song contest that was held between 4 February and 10 March 2012. It selected the fifty-second Swedish entry to be internationally represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
Birgit Bidder is a Swedish indie musician, songwriter, arranger and artist. Known for ones distinctive voice and songwriting, Birgit Bidder music often blends elements of retro pop, new wave and soul. Various instruments can also be found in Birgit's songs, including saxophones, synthesizers, vibraphones, French horns, saw and bandoneon.
Benjamin Daniele Wahlgren Ingrosso is a Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer. As a child, he appeared in the leading role in several musicals, and in 2006 he won Lilla Melodifestivalen with the song "Hej Sofia". He won the celebrity dancing TV show Let's Dance 2014, and has competed twice in Melodifestivalen in 2017 and 2018 respectively. He won in 2018 and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, with the song "Dance You Off".
Talang 2023 is the thirteenth season of Swedish Talang and is broadcast on TV4 from 14 January. The host remains Pär Lernström, and the new jury consists of Helena Bergström, Viktor Norén, Johanna Nordström and David Batra. Edward af Sillén, Sarah Dawn Finer and Bianca Ingrosso quit the show as a jury after season twelve.