Our popular Summer Jazz Series returns to Scandinavia House, with live performances in Volvo Hall! This summer we’re presenting performances from some of Scandinavia’s most talented jazz musicians, composers, and singers on Thursday evenings in June and July.
The series concludes on July 29 with Oskar Stenmark (flugelhorn) & Alex Pryrodny (electric piano). The artists will perform some of their favorite Scandinavian jazz hits from icons such as Jan Johansson and Lars Gullin, as well as a sneak peek of the duo’s new project premiering later this year.
Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online at the link above. Attendees are required to follow all Scandinavia House safety protocols, including wearing masks at all times during the program and observing social distancing rules in signage. Please read our full safety protocols here.
About the Musicians
Oskar Stenmark was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. Coming from a family with a long legacy in music that has been traced back to 1762, Oskar developed a musical interest at an early age and eventually picked up the trumpet. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in improvisation at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg, Oskar moved to New York to pursue his musical dreams. He has performed with stars such as David Byrne, Chris Potter and multiple Grammy award-winner Maria Schneider Orchestra. Oskar, a 10th generation musician, has a Master’s degree in Jazz Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and continues to develop his playing and artistic vision while being based in New York and Sweden. Oskar is involved in several bands, including Brass Against, Fleur Seule and Seth Weaver Big Band. Leading his horn section Presence Horns, his own duo, trio and quartet, Oskar explores the traditional melodies he inherited from his ancestors in Sweden by fusing them together with the sounds of New York City.
Alex Pryrodny is a New York City based pianist who uses the techniques of improvisation derived from a lifelong study of classical, jazz and world music and has been lauded as “highly gifted, very thoughtful and highly resourceful musician” by Grammy Award-winning producer Robert Sadin. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1984, Alex started studying piano at the age of three and gave his first public performance at the age of six. By early teens, Alex has won the title of Ukraine’s best young composer twice, as well as several international competitions in classical piano, composition, and improvisation. He moved to the United States at the age of 16 to study jazz and classical piano at the University of Maryland and the New School and through private lessons and masterclasses with Andre Watts, Hal Galper, Fred Hersch and others. Alex has been awarded 2nd place at the Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition in Switzerland in 2012 and toured in Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. He has recorded two solo piano albums and two EPs and his work as an arranger has received multiple nominations for the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.