WHAT IS A LIVING ROOM CONCERT
A living room concert is a concert where the guests have the opportunity to listen to live music in a living room in a private home. Living room concerts are becoming quite popular in many countries, but having cultural evenings with storytelling and singing in private homes is, in fact, an age old tradition in the Faroe Islands. The Faroese people call it having a “kvøldseta”, which can be translated to having ‘an evening sitting’.
In recent years these events have been organized in a more systematic and professional manner. Elin was the first to introduce this new concept in the Faroe Islands with the F’LJÓÐ KVØLDSETUR – i.e. living room concerts and literary evenings – starting in January 2012.
Then came the HOYMA concerts in the village of Gøta followed by the HEIMA concerts in the village of Nólsoy, and most recently, the HÚSAGONGD concerts in the village of Sandavágur and with more and more villages following with their own living room concerts.
All these events take place once a year each with concerts in many different houses during the course of a day, while F’LJÓÐ KVØLDSETUR living room concerts take place in one particular home many times throughout the year.
Here is a YouTube video which gives an impression of the atmosphere at a F’LJÓÐ KVØLDSETUR living room concert, where Elin Brimheim Heinesen performs:
BENEFITS BOTH FOR ARTISTS AND AUDIENCE
At regular concerts artists usually perform on stage, at a distance. A living room concert is characterised by the fact that the audience is much closer to the artist with no – or almost no “filter” between the guests and the performer. You can watch the performers’ every expression up close and meet the performers and talk to them, both before and after their performance.
The guests play a very important role at these events because it is a very special experience for the performers to sing, play music, and recite literature for an audience that close and attentive. It makes the experience so much more intense, and the inspiration goes both ways. Both performers and audiences have attested time and time again these events are very postive experiences.
The audience feels like part of a very special and intimate experience in a private home. It almost feels like having a very nice evening at home together with good friends. The closeness and the coziness that a living room concert offers is really something to remember and will stay with you for a long time.
Read more here:
About the story behind and about the title F’LJÓÐ KVØLDSETUR
Frequently asked questions about F’LJÓÐ KVØLDSETUR
