On Friday, October 17th, Stockholm International School was filled with music, excitement, and a true sense of community as SIS hosted the Nordic Network Music Festival, this year’s largest celebration of student musicians from across Scandinavia.

More than 100 students participated, traveling from all over Sweden, and even students from Norway took an eight-hour bus ride to share their musical talents. Throughout the day, in the AULA, performances from genres like pop and indie songs to orchestral and choral pieces could be heard. This was a unique experience for both students and teachers at SIS.

Behind the scenes, a dedicated team of seven SIS’s technical students made the event possible, managing sound, lighting, and stage transitions. Kaine, one of the technicians, described it as “definitely a challenge, but also a lot of fun.” He explained that the hardest part was to “…set up all the equipment within just a few hours and then keep everything running smoothly the next day. Everyone on the team collaborated well, and seeing it all come together was incredibly rewarding.”

Michele, another student who handled lighting, shared similar thoughts. “It was a long day, but totally worth it to see how well everything went.” Some of his favorite performances include one group’s rendition of Piano Man and another orchestra’s take on Viva la Vida. There was a huge variety which really showed how much talent there is across the Nordic schools.

Though the Nordic Network Music Festival is an annual event that rotates among international schools in the region, this year was the biggest and also the first time SIS hosted it. According to everyone involved, it was a success. The school received support from the Nordic Network Commission to fund logistics, equipment, and technical help, giving SIS students the opportunity to take part in a real, large-scale production.

The festival wasn’t just about music but about students from different international schools coming together with the help of music.