Göteborg International Organ Festival

October 8–19, 2025

Visions

The pipe organ is often said to be the “Queen of instruments”, and the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia, is traditionally depicted playing the organ. But how does this kind of imagery relate to the reality facing women in organ culture, in times past and today? And who were the pioneering female organists and organ composers, and what did they achieve? Departing from the composer Elfrida Andrée (1841–1929), a key figure in the musical life of Gothenburg and the world’s first female cathedral organist, the symposium takes a broad look at the role of women in organ culture. What social and economic factors condition the history of women in organ culture? Is there a “hidden history” of marginalized women as performers, composers and instrument builders? And are attitudes towards women in the organ world still changing or in need of change?

PART ONE

Elfrida Andrée: A Swedish Pioneering Organist and Organ Composer

Johan Hammarström and Jonas Lundblad: A New Edition of Elfrida Andrée’s Organ Works

Eva Öhrström: Elfrida Andrée: Pioneer, Organist, Composer

Kimberly Marshall: Elfrida Andrée: Liturgical Pioneer

PART TWO

Women in the World of Organ Music: Historical and International Perspectives

Robin Blanton: Nannette Streicher: A PIoneering Female Keyboard Instrument Builder

Annette Richards: Elizabeth Stirling and 19th-Century British Views on the Female Organist

Anne Laver: Changing Attitudes towards Women Organists in the U.S. at the Dawn of the 20th Century

Anna Steppler: Writing History with Women at the Console: 20th- and 21st-Century Questions

MODERATOR

Sverker Jullander

PRESENTATION FORMAT

The format of the Jonsered Seminars is designed to promote an open exchange of knowledge between the participants. Presentations are therefore short (normally 10 minutes), leaving plenty of time for open, informal discussions. The number of participants is very limited.

REGISTRATION

Registration for the Festival Symposium Elfrida Andrée: pioneer, organist, composer at Jonsered Manor, is done by e-mail to jonseredsherrgard@gu.se (include your name and your university/home institution/place of employment). Please note that the number of participants in the symposium is very limited.