Sofia Högstadius is one of the most active of Sweden’s new generation of creative, multi-genre violinists, well known both as solo artist and ensemble musician.
Classically trained but with her heart in Bulgarian and Swedish traditional music, Sofia is teaching ensemble and violin at the world music department at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg, Sweden and freelancing as a violinist in many groups and collaborations. Starting from 2020 she is also the program coordinator of the world music bachelor’s program, as well as mother of Måns, another big project in Sofia’s life.
Sofia is involved with several musical projects around Europe, including the scandi-balkan folk-punk band Trio Katastrofa, duos with Bulgarian tambura master Vladimir Vladimirov and Slovenian singer/harpist Zvezdana Novaković (Voice of the Strings). As a new member of the international 10 piece band Etno in Transit she has been touring in Chile. She is also a member of Kate in the Kettle – the Scottish fiddler/singer Kate Young‘s string quintet project who recently recorded their first album in January 2019. During the years 2018-2020 she was Artist in Residence at Malmö Academy of Music.
She is also regularly touring with her bands such as radical swing collective Cats & Dinosaurs, klezmer quartet Zemer Kapell, pop band Winhill/Losehill and also is a regular substitute violinist for Erika Risinger in different project such as Swedish folk band Navarra, feministic folk funk collective Sallyswag, Olivia’s Poesiorkester and World Wide Orchestra.
Fall semester 2016 Sofia spent rehearsing and touring full time with the Swedish National Theatre production Tjärdalen, playing music written by Winhill/Losehill composer Jonas Svennem. In the performance she played 5 stringed viola, saw, percussion, mandolin, banjo, piano and voice.
For more info on current gigs, see under Performances.
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Ethno In Transit at Festival Histeria 2013, from left: Ida Meidell Blylod, violin, Hermann Haertel, violin, Kate Young, violin, Johanna Kugler, violin, Sofia Högstadius, violin, Daniel Moser, saxophone, Matija Solce, accordion, Stefan Hedborg, percussion and Nano Stern, guitar.
Sofia is the manager of several international musical exchange projects as organizer and artistic leader; among them Ethno Histeria in Slovenia (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018), Rila Music Exchange in Bulgaria (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019), Folkkollo World in Sweden (2014) and the touring European Cultural Capital project Etno Histeria Umeuropa Caravan (2014).
See the meny for Organizing for more info.
Sofia Högstadius is the previous holder of the NorrlandsOperan Violinist Award, which has given her the opportunity to play on a violin by Jens Gösta Johansson, Cremona.
Sofia has been a classical soloist with Lundby Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Gothia and at Umeå Music School’s 50 year’s jubilee. She has played a showcase at Womex 2019 in Tampere, Finland with Emilia Amper Band, at Womad 2018 in Santiago, Chile with Etno In Transit, a showcase with The Voice of the Strings at Without Borders Showcase Festival for folk- and world music in 2013
and in 2011 with Bulgarian tambura master Valeri Dimchev, both in Bulgaria.
At Womex 2015 in Budapest she was also promoting Kate Young’s experimental string quintet Kate in the Kettle consisting of Kate Young, (Scotland) voice and violin, Sofia Högstadius (Sweden/Bulgaria) violin, Claudia Schwab, (Ireland/Austria) violin, Barja Drnovsek (Slovenia) viola and Toby Kuhn, (France) cello.
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Background
Sofia Högstadius is a violinst from Umeå, Sweden who is moving between classical, pop and folk- and world music. She has played concerts and led workshops all around Sweden, Bulgaria and Slovenia and also in Belgium, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Moldova, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, France, Austria, Italy, UK and India.
In 2010, after four year at the classical teaching department at the Academy of Music and Drama she moved to Plovdiv, Bulgaria for one year’s Erasmus studies at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts for Bulgarian folk music studies. In 2012 she returned to Plovdiv with the support of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee (Konstnärsnämnden) for additional studies and concerts in Bulgaria.
In February 2014, she was the musical coordinator and producer of the concert Umeuropa at Umefolk festival in Umeå, where more than fourty musicians from all over Europe and the world performed together. See event:
http://umefolk.umeafolkmusik.se/artister/umeuropa
To follow up that project Ethno Histeria Umeuropa Caravan was created and toured Europe for almost a month during the summer 2014 under the leadership of Sofia Högstadius and Australian accordion player Kieren Alexander. (see under Organizing for more info)
Performing with Etno Histeria Umeuropa Caravan in Norrmjöle, Sweden
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From January 2014 she is freelancing as a violinist and teaching at the world music department the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg. She also worked for one and a half year with El Sistema, Hammarkullen.
Awards and grants
- 1998 Royal Academy
- 1999 Norrmejerier award
- 1999 Royal Academy
- 1999 Kall Course Scholarship
- 2000 Royal Academy
- 2001 Orkester Norden tour + Lions award
- 2001 Royal Academy
- 2002 Orkester Norden tour + Lions
- 2002 Royal Academy
- 2005 Swedish Institute grant, Bulgaria Tour
- 2008 Makarna Staremark award
- 2009 Adlerbertska grant
- 2010 Holger Gustafssons Fond award
- 2010 Erasmus grant Bulgaria
- 2012 NorrlandsOperan violinist award
- 2012 Adlebertska grant
- 2012 Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Bulgaria
- 2013 Swedish Arts Grants Committee, tour Sweden with Vladimirov-Hogstadius
- 2014 Swedish Arts Grants Committee Work Award 50 000SEK
- 2014 Cultural Capital Umeå: Etno Histeria Umeuropa Caravan-project
Education
2006-2012 Academy of Music and Drama, Göteborg
Classical Department, teaching
Final essay 15p: The notes somehow emptied the music; A case study and discussion about folk music teaching at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Teachers: Peter Magnusson, Gothenburg Opera, Tobias Granmo, Wiener Kammerphilharmoni
2010-2011 Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts, Plovdiv Bulgaria
Folk Music Department, performance
Teachers: Prof. Todor Kirof, AMTII, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Doktor Svetla Stanilova, AMTII, Plovdiv Bulgaria