Dorothy Irving Scholarship

Award-winning lieder with Duo Lorenzen-Ekberg.

The legendary concert singer and educator Dorothy Irving (1927–2018) left a powerful impression on the Swedish music scene. Her artistry was bold and meticulous, with a deep dedication to the expressive power of lyrics and music.

Before they passed away, she and her husband Lars Fjellstedt founded a scholarship administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music to “promote and preserve the art of the lied.” The scholarship is now being presented for the second time and goes to Duo Lorenzen-Ekberg, comprising soprano Kathrin Lorenzen and pianist Oskar Ekberg: “for their breathtaking lightness and cooperative, playful and in-depth presentation of historic and human dimensions in a modern, international vocal repertoire, and for revealing the existential depth of Scandinavian lieder.”

Kathrin Lorenzen, born in Flensburg in 1994, has become established as a popular soloist and concert vocalist in Germany and Scandinavia. In January 2024, she won the Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s Soloist Prize. In May 2024, Kathrin won second place and the audience prize in the international Mirjam Helin Competition in Helsinki, in competition with 485 singers from 57 countries.

Oskar Ekberg, born in 1977, has been an in-demand soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician nationally and internationally since his debut with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2004. He has garnered significant appreciation for his dedication and recordings of Swedish music, including all of Johan Helmich Roman’s harpsichord suites, earning him a nomination for a Grammis Award in the category of Best Classical Album.