Photo: Julia Severinsen
Once again, Art Music Denmark is collaborating with the New York-based composer collective Bang on a Can to send a Danish participant to the international summer residency. This year, the jury selected soprano and performer Freja Højlund Høj to take part in the Bang on a Can Residency 2026.
The three-week residency brings together composers and musicians from around the world for workshops, concerts and artistic development.
We asked Freja to share her thoughts on the upcoming residency:
“I am very much looking forward to immersing myself in new music and getting to know new works, as well as exploring new ways of using my voice. I am extremely excited to meet and work with so many talented and inspiring musicians and composers, and to become part of musical communities and to learn from one another. “
About Freja Højlund Høj
Freja Højland Høj is a soprano, performer, and improviser from Denmark. She holds a Master of Music degree in classical singing from the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Described as a “gorgeous soaring soprano” in the German Magazine OPER!, Freja seeks interdisciplinary collaboration and explores the intersection between classical singing, theater-making, performance, improvisation, and electronics.
She has performed at Carnegie Hall, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Festival & Friends, Copenhagen Opera Festival, Den Fynske Opera, and The Stone (NYC). Freja is currently studying at The New School College of Performing Arts in New York.
About Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival
The Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival is a three-week residency and musical utopia for innovative composers and performers, held at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.
The festival is dedicated to the exploration of new music through seminars, workshops, concerts, and performances, led by some of the most skilled artists, composers, and musicians, including Gregg August (bass), Maya Stone (bassoon), David Cossin (percussion), Lauren Radnofsky (cello), Michael Gordon (composer), David Lang (composer), Brad Lubman (conductor), Nick Photinos (cello), Vicky Chow (piano), Todd Reynolds (violin), Ken Thomson (saxophone and clarinet), Julia Wolfe (composer), and many more.
Art Music Denmark’s collaboration with the Bang on a Can Summer Festival is supported by Augustinus Foundation and the Danish Arts Foundation.
