Read about the members of Eiradís below
Ensemble Eiradís is an enthusiastic, innovative and exploratory saxophone quartet based in the Nordic Region, consisting of members from Faroe Islands and Sweden. The members - Lisa Nyberg, Kristina Thede Johansen, Vera Georgieva, and Anna Magnusson - are creative female innovators with a shared passion for culture, music and heritage. By inviting participants from outside the classical music scene into collaborations, Eiradís stimulates conversation in the cultural community, bringing visibility and cultural understanding to artists and audiences alike, embodying social diversity and identity.
Ensemble Eiradís’ core values is to make a notable and positive impression in the community and believe in the importance of making long lasting and valuable differences in the cultural scenes they reside in. The quartet pushes boundaries by engaging and involving their participants, collaborative partners and audiences through their curations. Producing relatable and identifiable content by taking the values of the audience into consideration, is how the quartet affects the musical scenes in associated communities.
By providing educational, relatable workshops and concerts in schools, institutions and festivals, the quartet encourages local youths and sparks interest in music for the younger audience. As a result of their passionate community and culturally focused outreach, Ensemble Eiradís enjoys close relationships with arts foundations, arts organizations and schools such as Listaleypurin (FO), Levende Musik i Skolen (DK), Genklange (DK), Skapande Skola (SE) and Konserttikeskus (FI). Furthermore the quartet has collaborated with composers from several Nordic countries, receiving numerous pieces - and over 50 from children originating from Eiradís original children composition workshop.
Ensemble Eiradís is comfortable and well-versed in a wide variety of genres, often performing and collaborating in contemporary, classical, folkloric, rhythmic and crossover settings and projects. The quartet is currently a core partner in the groundbreaking project Nordic Notes, a project portraying the Nordic region across national borders and musical genres in collaboration with progressive young artists, embodying culture in constant transformation.
Ensemble Eiradís is endorsed by Henri Selmer Paris and strives to break barriers and eliminate limitations in order to make music and culture accessible for all.
Lisa Nyberg
Lisa Nyberg is a Swedish saxophonist. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Performance from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark and has also studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. Currently she is working as a saxophone teacher and freelance musician in Sweden. She has studied with some of the best saxophonists in the Nordic countries, including Claus Olesen, Johannes Thorell, Jörgen Pettersson and Christer Johnsson.
Lisa has participated in and won competitions both as a soloist and as a part of a chamber ensemble. She has received scholarships from funds such as Overlæge Finn Jensen og hustru Kirsten Finn Jensens fond, Gålöstiftelsen and Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien.
Lisa is a member of many different ensembles and has played with some of the most prominent ensembles and orchestras in the Nordic region.
Kristina Thede
Saxophone player and entrepreneur Kristina Thede Johansen grew up on the Faroe Islands, where her musical career started. In 2014 she started her studies on the royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, studying with Claus Olesen, Johannes Thorell, Henriette Jensen, Kasper Hemmer Pihl and Anja Nedremo, with exchange studies in Tromsø, Norway, with teacher Lars Lien, and Helsinki, Finland, with teacher Joonatan Rautiola. At the moment she is doing a postgraduate study in Aarhus as well as a master in music performance and arts management in Helsinki.
Kristina is an active chamber musician playing in numerous different successful chamber constellations, as well as being a professional member of Tórshavnar Bigband and the Faroese Symphony Orchestra amongst others.
Kristina has been awarded and honored for her playing several times. In 2015 she won the 3rd prize and in 2017 and 2019 the 2nd in the Stella Polaris competition for young classical musicians. In 2016 she was awarded “Honor Student” at the Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy in Bangkok.
Vera Georgieva
Vera Georgieva is a swedish saxophonist from Stockholm, Sweden. She started her music education at the Nordiska Musikgymnasiet. During those years, she was a regular saxophonist at the Stockholm Youth Symphony Orchestra, for the conductor Glenn Mossop.
After her graduation, she became a student for prof. Christer Johnsson, at the pre-college education, Birkagårdens Folkhögskola. During those years, Vera took initiative to create many various ensembles, and participated in plentiful concerts as a soloist, at well-known churches and concert venues in Stockholm.
In 2016 she began her bachelor degree as a classical saxophonist at Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, for Johannes Thorell, Anja Nedremo and Henriette Jensen. Today she is studying her 2nd year Master of Music - Music Pedagogy.
Alongside with her education, Vera has performed in various Masterclasses for saxophone virtuosos, such as: Arno Bornkamp, Vincent David, Nobuya Sugawa, Joonatan Rautiola and many more. Today, Vera works with the Ensemble Eiradís, together with her fellow colleagues Lisa Nyberg, Kristina Thede Johansen and Anna Magnusson.
Anna Magnusson
Anna Magnusson is a classical saxophone player who grew up in the western section of Sweden and completed her Bachelor’s degree at Örebro University in 2016. During her studies she had time to experiment with new music and she’s worked with composers such as Andrea Tarrodi and Miklós Maros.
Anna has received several scholarships including Kungliga Akademien, Swedish Arts and Grants committee and Overlæge Finn Jensen og hustru Kirsten Finn Jensens fond.
In 2018, she completed her Master’s degree in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, where she studied with Johannes Thorell, Claus Olesen and Henriette Jensen. Here she had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with saxophonists such as Arno Bornkamp, Nobuya Sugawa and Sascha Armbuster.
She is now active in several different orchestras and chamber music groups and makes appearances in groups as Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester and the Royal Swedish Navy Band. Anna plays in the saxophone quartet JÓR who in 2017 made the semi final of the Danish Radio P2 chamber music competition. She is also a member of Ensemble Eiradís and Duo Anda who regularly perform and give workshops all over Scandinavia.
Photos by Veronica Isabelle Photography