The Eric Ericson Hall, a church reborn in song
A domed naval church of 1842 on the island of Skeppsholmen, now one of Stockholm’s most beautiful concert halls.
A temple for sailors, a home for voices
Cross the little bridge from the Grand Hôtel side of the harbour and Stockholm changes pace. The traffic falls away, the water opens up, and on the island of Skeppsholmen a pale, eight-sided building rises on its hill under a low green dome. It looks more like a temple than a Swedish church, and that is close to what its architect intended.
Built for the sailors of the Swedish navy, the old Skeppsholmen Church fell silent when the fleet moved away. Today it is the Eric Ericsonhallen, or Eric Ericson Hall, named after the man who helped to make Sweden a nation of choirs.
It is a mighty room. To me it works just as well for a trade fair as for a music event, and the acoustics are fantastic.
consecrated
the building
at dinner
floor
A church for the fleet
The story begins with a fire. In June 1822 the old Admiralty church on neighbouring Blasieholmen burned down, and the following year the architect Fredrik Blom’s design for a new church was chosen. He drew an octagonal central church, unusual in Sweden at the time, with clear echoes of the Pantheon in Rome. It is a fine example of the Swedish Empire style, known at home as Karl Johan.
The low dome was added in 1833 at the king’s initiative, crowned by a lantern with eight Corinthian columns. King Karl XIV Johan consecrated the church on 24 July 1842, and it long carried his name.
For well over a century it served the naval base on Skeppsholmen. Then, in 1969, the fleet moved to Muskö and the parish came to an end. The church was deconsecrated in 2001. In 2009 a careful renovation removed the fixed pews, and the building received a new name and a new purpose. It is still owned by the National Property Board of Sweden.
The old Skeppsholmen Church · Photo: Ylva Hedman
Eric Ericson, master of choirs
Eric Ericson was born in 1918 and grew up in Visby on Gotland, where he sang as a boy in the cathedral choir. In 1945 he founded the chamber choir that later took his name, and it became his great instrument for a cappella singing. He also led the Swedish Radio Choir from 1951 to 1982 and the male voice choir Orphei Drängar from 1951 to 1991, and he taught generations of conductors as a professor in Stockholm.
He is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading choral conductors, and much of Sweden’s reputation as a choral nation is credited to him. In 1997 he received the Polar Music Prize, sharing it with Bruce Springsteen. He died in 2013, four years after this hall took his name. Two years later, the hall honoured him with a work of art: Havens sång, “Song of the Sea”, a textile seven metres high, woven and embroidered by hand by Anita Graffman and Marina Aittalat, which now hangs in the choir.
Havens sång beneath the arches · Photo: Ylva Hedman
Under the dome, in the round
Pantheon echoes in the heart of Stockholm’s harbour.
A room built for sound
Step inside and the eight sides become a circle. Tall Ionic columns, painted to resemble marble, carry a coffered dome set with rosettes, and statues of the apostles stand in niches between the arches, joined by two larger sculptural groups by Johan Niclas Byström. The old pulpit still stands beneath its canopy, and the eye goes straight up to the dome.
The result is a room that feels both grand and close. It has also been fitted for its new life. In 2015 a specially designed acoustic chandelier was hung beneath the dome, with sound-absorbing drapes along the walls, and the reverberation can now be set between 2.5 and 5 seconds, so the room can suit a choir or an orchestra as well as jazz, opera, pop or folk music. A Steinway D grand piano stands ready for concerts, the organ dates from 1930, built by Setterquist, and the hall is used for recordings too.
From candlelight to royal dinners
Today the programme is wide. Choral music and Christmas concerts share the calendar with jazz evenings and the popular Candlelight series, where live musicians play by the glow of candles, from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to tributes to ABBA and Queen. The hall is the series’ most frequent home in Stockholm, and a concert under the dome makes a lovely, easy evening on a city break. The calendar changes through the season, so it is worth checking what is on when you plan your stay.
The hall is also one of the city’s most unusual event venues, used for weddings, dinners and conferences, with room for up to 430 guests at dinner on 600 square metres of open floor. It has already passed one great test: on 18 June 2010, on the eve of Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding, the Swedish Government held its dinner for the royal couple and their guests here.
For a company dinner or a private celebration, few rooms in Stockholm offer this mix of history, water and music. See our Corporate & Incentive Travel page.
An island of art and masts
Skeppsholmen’s story goes back far beyond the church. In the Middle Ages it was grazing land known as Vangsön, and in the 1500s it became Lustholmen, a royal pleasure ground where Gustav Vasa laid out gardens and Erik XIV held feasts. By around 1640 the navy had moved here from Blasieholmen, and for more than 300 years, until 1969, this was Stockholm’s naval base.
The hall is reason enough to come, but the island rewards a slow walk. Moderna Museet, Sweden’s leading museum of modern art, shares a building with ArkDes, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design. The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities is here too, and on the south shore lies the af Chapman, a sailing ship that now serves as a hostel.
Just around the corner lies Hotel Skeppsholmen, a wonderful place to stay on this beautiful island in the middle of Stockholm. At Christmas its restaurant, Långa Raden, serves a traditional julbord, the generous Swedish Christmas buffet, with private rooms for larger groups.
It is a lovely, unhurried walk past older boats and the island’s old naval buildings. Along the waterfront you have Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace and the harbour spread out in front of you. Follow the bridge over to little Kastellholmen, and you will soon forget that you are in the middle of a capital city.
A day on Skeppsholmen
Begin with a morning at Moderna Museet or ArkDes, lunch by the water and a walk around the island, then finish with an evening concert under the dome. For groups, we can arrange a private performance and dinner, as part of a longer Stockholm journey.
The Eric Ericson Hall, answered
Where is the Eric Ericson Hall?
On the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, on Kyrkslingan, about 200 metres from the Grand Hôtel. It is a short walk from Kungsträdgården, past Nationalmuseum. Bus 65 and the harbour ferries also serve the island.
Who was Eric Ericson?
A Swedish choral conductor and teacher (1918–2013), regarded as one of the leading figures in choral music worldwide.
Can you visit the hall?
It is a concert and event venue rather than a museum, so the best way to see the interior is to attend a concert or arrange a private event. Viewings for event planners can be booked with the venue.
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