Distant Harmonies
Distant Harmonies is a new spatial sound performance for violin and harp, that Mareike Dobewall developed in collaboration with violinist Eva Lindal and harpist Stina Hellberg Agback.
Premiere will be in November 2024
Dates: 6.11. Gdansk - WL4, 8.11. Berlin - Hosek Cotemporary, 10.11. Bielefeld - Zionskirche Bethel
“Distant Harmonies” is the latest in Mareike’s ongoing exploration of space as an active participant in live performance. Created in collaboration with violinist Eva Lindal and harpist Stina Hellberg Agback, this spatial sound performance transforms distance into a vital element of the music itself. By physically varying the distance between the musicians in large, resonant spaces, Mareike invites the space to play the role of a third musician, influencing timing, tuning, and the overall sonic unfolding of the work.
Mareike Dobewall´s artistic practice thrives on collaboration. Mareike’s music scores are not just musical compositions but frameworks for creative exchange. They allow the unique expression of each musician to shine through and shape the performance. In “Distant Harmonies”, this collaborative method is at the heart of the project and includes the performance spaces.
Mareike’s background in interdisciplinary studies, including her PhD in Performative and Media-based Practices from Stockholm University of the Arts, has deeply informed her artistic research and work. With “Distant Harmonies”, she continues to investigate how sound, space, and human expression intersect, offering an experience where music and space interact.
Team
Eva Lindal is a violinist with a deep engagement in both improvisation and contemporary music. Born in Stockholm in 1958, she studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, with further studies in Switzerland and at Banff, Canada. From 1986 to 2000, Eva was a member of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has worked as a freelance musician, concentrating on improvisation, contemporary repertoire, and collaborative cross-disciplinary projects. She is a member of ensembles such as Katzen Kapell, Rebaroque, MA, and KammarensembleN, and also regularly performs in groups blending classical, new music, and improvisational idioms.
Stina Hellberg Agback is a harpist, composer, and improviser active in the Nordic jazz and experimental music scene. She holds advanced training from institutions including the Royal College of Music (Stockholm), and has studied at Berklee College of Music and Trinity College of Music, London. Her musical voice lies at the intersection of jazz, free improvisation, and contemporary composition—she continuously challenges and extends the sonic potential of the harp. She has released several albums (e.g. Unrulers, The Standard Is The Standard) and leads projects such as Shinken Shobu (a name drawn from Japanese imagery, whose meaning resonates with the serious, committed energy she brings to her music). Her collaborations span genres and contexts, from jazz ensembles and improvisation groups to cross-disciplinary art projects.
Mareike Dobewall is a spatial composer, director, scenographer, musician, and artistic researcher whose work moves freely across disciplines. Her practice emphasizes live sound, site-sensitive performance, and the poetic interplay of body, space, and acoustics. In 2021 she completed her PhD at Stockholm University of the Arts with the thesis Voicelanding – Exploring the Scenographic Potential of Acoustic Sound in Site-Sensitive Performance, which investigates the ways sound can choreograph and transform spatial experience. Her work often treats the performance space as a co-composer, guiding how audiences inhabit and perceive sonic structure.
