Christmas is on its way even in a difficult year like this for our world. This has been a very ‘local’ year, being almost impossible to travel. More than ever I am grateful to all of those professionals ‘behind the scenes’ who have supported and helped me and other free-lancing musicians! It is in difficult times that the real nature of things and people emerge! Hopefully, in due time, those who really are doing SOMETHING extra will be praised by every body! My fondest thoughts go to all the many big and small concert organizers in Sweden that are indeed working as much as they can for helping me and other free-lancers, with whatever means they can offer. The Swedish state, with its different institutions, has being financially supporting freelancing artists, so have done the Church of Sweden (which has made tremendous efforts to keep concerts alive whenever allowed), and all the fantastic organists who organize concerts. I deeply thank Scenkonst Sörmland and Estrad Norr. I hope your incredible commitment will be praised by many. Thanks to Musik i Kullabygden, Musik på Billingen and all those Swedish and Danish chamber-music associations that are helping in all the ways they can. It shows! Without the professional attitude of Malmö Palladium things would have gone much worse. Thanks to Christofer Ekströmer and to Baroque Academy Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Thanks to the scholars and the staff at the University of Uppsala for their superbly professional assistance. If I forgot someone, I beg your pardon! A big thank you also to the formidable members of two of my ensembles. Paradiso Musicale: you are truly precious friends, artists and music organizers! Thanks for giving hope in dark times. The Bright Future Ensemble: incredibly loyal and professional colleagues! I miss Estonia! To all the marvelous colleagues willing to play with me or sometime for me: thanks, You also make my life easier! Finally, thank you to all those professionals who took their time to write or say nice things about my recordings and myself!
Merry Christmas!