Biography

I am a Swedish Composer who gladly writes music for orchestras, ensembles, soloists and singers. I'm a member of the Swedish Society of Composers (FST).

Some pieces that earlier have attracted much attention are e.g. ”Fanfare of Change” ("Förändringsfanfar"), commissioned by "Stockholm – Europe's Capital of Culture '98" and "Under the Bridge, Under the Time" ("Under bron, under tiden").


"Fanfare of Change" consists of 365 small parts, 1 for every day during one year. It's written for two brass players. The piece changes a little from day to day so that after ca two weeks a completely new music has arised. It was performed during the summer at T-Centralen, Stureplan, Stortorget and Medborgarplatsen in Stockholm by job seeking musicians and members of The Stockholm Transport Band.


"Under the Bridge, Under the Time" was written during my residence in Paris 1991. I was inspired during one of my promenades in Montmartre Cemetery looking for the tomb of Hector Berlioz. Suddenly I found myself under the hectic traffic on the bridge "Le Coulaincourt" but at the same time in the peace of the cemetery. The fast intro of the piece is soon transformed into different quiet sections with the same general eternity theme. The piece was premiered by The Swedish Radio Orchestra and recorded by The Stockholm Transport Band conducted by Patrik Ringborg.


I was born in Karlskrona 1953. I applied for guitar at the newly started municipal music school when I was eight years old, was admitted for valve trombone. It worked out pretty well and I remember how my excellent teacher Erns Ottosson one day asked me if I should go in for being a musician, but I thought it seemed to be insecure. Next week he wondered if I could consider me being a music teacher like him. "No, definitely not!" I can still hear myself say.

After school I played a couple of years in The Marine Corps, at that time called "Regionmusiken" ("The Regional Music"). Conducted by Åke Dohlin and later Per Ohlsson. The job as a musician I combined with studies in piano, organ and theory of harmony with music director Christer Magnusson. A very instructive period.

When my deputyship in The Marine Corps ran out I decided to try becoming a music teacher in brass instruments. Pedagogical studies, with a o Torsten Tufvesson at SMI, University College of Music Education in Stockholm (Stockholms Musikpedagogiska Institut), and work at the music school in Kristianstad. At the same time! This I combined with trombone studies with the trombone guru Carl-Otto Naessén. Furthermore I also played in Gert-Åke Walldén´s Big Band.


After Kristianstad I moved to Kalmar and a place as brass teacher at the music school along with playing in Emmaboda Big Band with its leader Claes-Göran Bjerding. A lot of music was composed during that time, not least for the big band. 


Therefore it was a natural thing to start with composition education at KMH (Royal College) in Stockholm. My teachers were a o Bengt-Arne Wallin, Lars-Erik Rosell, Arne Mellnäs, P-G Alldahl, Daniel Börtz, Bill Brunson, Pär Lindgren and Sven-David Sandström. It became 7 years! Between 1983-1990.


Actually I had planned to move back to pleasant Kalmar, but now I had a family with my wife Kerstin. We, and our children Anna, Maja and Niels, feel at home in Stockholm so here we will stay with some trips to Karlskrona and the cottage on the island Blidö.


By this time I also started to work at Stockholm School of the Arts (Kulturskolan) as a teacher in brass, orchestra and composition. It became more than 30 years! Until now, when I only step in as a supply teacher now and then.


Thanks to the School of the Arts I've also had the possibility to be a musician, not least in all school ensembles, e g Stockholm´s Youth Sinfonietta conducted by Helena Sivsdotter Söderman. I've also had the advantage to play the trombone in Respons Sinfonietta, wich was an orchestra consisting of music teachers from music and cultural schools in the region of Stockholm. Naturally I've composed a lot for these orchestras.


In my composing I want to achieve the perfect balance between logic and emotion. 
I will not succeed, but it's very pleasant to try.