Eric Ericson Award

The Eric Ericson Award is one of the world's most prestigious competitions for young choral conductors. With international brilliance, high artistic ambitions and a strong foundation in Eric Ericson's legacy, the award gives the next generation of conductors a unique springboard towards an international career.

The Eric Ericson Award is the world’s foremost competition for choral conductors under the age of 36. The winner receives SEK 100,000 in prize money and is offered the opportunity to conduct ten productions with some of the leading professional choirs of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The competition is organised by Berwaldhallen, the Concert Hall of Swedish Radio, in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and with support from the Rosenborg Gehrmans Foundation, and EBU. The most recent edition took place in 2024.

In 2027, the Eric Ericson Award will be held for the fifth time. The competition aims to identify, encourage and support young, exceptionally gifted choral conductors in the spirit of Eric Ericson. Its ambition is to maintain an artistic standard that reflects the international stature attained by Eric Ericson himself and to provide the winners with long-term opportunities for a successful international career in the choral field.

About the Eric Ericson Award

The Eric Ericson Award (EEA) was established on the initiative of Stefan Parkman at Uppsala University. The first competitions were held in 2003, 2006 and 2009 and were organised by the Uppsala University Choral Centre, the Eric Ericson International Choral Centre, Swedish Radio and Concerts Sweden (Rikskonserter), with prize money from the Eric Ericson Foundation.

After a hiatus, the competition was resumed in 2021 on the initiative of Swedish Radio’s Berwaldhallen in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Today, the Eric Ericson Award is an internationally recognised competition that attracts young conductors from all over the world and is planned to take place every three years.

Facts about the competition

The Eric Ericson Award is open to choral conductors who are no older than 35 at the time of application and who turn 36 no earlier than during the year the competition is held. The repertoire consists of Western art music, with a particular focus on contemporary Swedish choral music.

After the application deadline, submissions are reviewed by a selection committee made up of experienced choral conductors and choral educators. Eight participants are selected for the final round, which takes place at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm.

The winner is chosen by an international jury of leading choral conductors and previous prize winners. The 2027 jury consists of Sofi Jeannin, Anders Eby, Lars Johansson Brissman, and former EEA laureates Kjetil Almenning, Krista Audere and Martina Batič.

In addition to the opportunity to work with several of Europe’s leading radio choirs, the winner receives a prize of 100,000 SEK, donated by the Rosenborg Gehrmans Foundation. The second and third prize winners each receive a scholarship of 25,000 SEK.

Repertoire

The repertoire is drawn from the classical, Romantic and contemporary periods of Western art music. Swedish and Nordic music in general plays a special role in the competition. The intention is to select works of similar length and comparable level of difficulty and, above all, works that offer inspiring challenges for the competing conductors – challenges that also enable the jury to make clear and fair assessments.