19.01.2024

New Project: From Green Orchestra Guide to Green Action

The Nordic symphony orchestras and chamber orchestras collaborate in the effort for green transition as they meet for the first time in early February to turn the recommendations from the ”Nordic Green Orchestra Guide” into action. The Accelerator program, initiated by DEOO – Danish Ensembles, Orchestras, and Opera Institutions in collaboration with Sustainable Cultural Life NOW and BARC Scandinavia, aims to assist orchestras in turning words into concrete measures and inspire other Nordic orchestras to do the same.

The Green Orchestra Guide, published in the fall of 2023 in response to a desire from all Nordic orchestras, provides tools, tips, and tricks for orchestras to think more environmentally friendly and communicate that with their audience. The guide is specifically tailored to symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, and smaller professional ensembles, encouraging orchestras to engage in strategic discussions about eco-friendly goals. It offers both immediate actionable suggestions and long-term solutions that make a difference.

Now, a new project will help professional orchestras and ensembles make practical use of the guide.

”The professional orchestras and ensembles are eager to contribute to the significant task we all face in becoming greener. We are therefore very pleased to launch the accelerator program. It’s incredibly inspiring to see orchestras come together across borders for such an important cause,” says DEOO Director Asbjørn Keiding. He continues, ”and the project precisely demonstrates the strength of orchestras and ensembles in influencing a political agenda and inspiring others to do the same.”

The nine Nordic orchestras participating in the project are Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, Ensemble Storstrøm, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Filharmonia, and Norrköping Symphony Orchestra.

The Accelerator program, designed to help orchestras select and implement various environmentally friendly initiatives from the Green Orchestra Guide, runs until the annual Nordic Orchestra Conference in the fall of 2024, where the program’s results will be presented to inspire other Nordic orchestra colleagues.

The project is supported by the Nordic Cultural Fund and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ fund for capacity development.