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contact: nielsen.jesp(a)gmail.com

About

Jesper Nielsen (1989-) is a composer based in Helsingborg, Sweden. He studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between 2011-16, with professors Karin Rehnqvist and Pär Lindgren. Since then, he has been active both as a composer and arranger writing and performing music for and together with ensembles and performers from Sweden and abroad. 

He is also active as guitarist, performing contemporary music and improvisation as a solo performer as well as in collaborations. He has been a member of the electric guitar ensemble Krock, which specializes in contemporary music and opera for electric guitars. Notable collaborations as a music engraver and arranger are with the cooperative Taktonika, where he has worked on orchestrations for films and television series such as "1899", "King and Conqueror" and "Touch".

In 2025, he released his first EP "Jesper Nielsen plays and plays and plays…" on streaming, containing improvised music for acoustic guitars. 

Right now, I'm working on new music for saxophone solo and EAM together with Linn Persson Kornhammar, which will be part of the performance Seans-historier in collaboration with the Museum of Helsingborg. The premiere is scheduled in 2027. I'm also working on a sinfonietta version of "Chaplin Songs" by Daniel Nelson, originally for large orchestra and choir with soloists, in collaboration with Gehrmans förlag and the composer himself. Recently, I've been working on a new commission for violin and tape, together with violinist Svetlana Riger. The piece, called Metasveta, had it's premiere at HMDK in Stuttgart in July, 2026. The piece is inspired by an antique wooden coffee grinder, with every sound in the electronic part originating from the grinder itself. The piece also contains sounds of wind recorded at the harbour in Helsingborg, Sweden, during a storm in early 2026.

I've also been working together with artist and composer Ann Rosén in the project "Rethinking", where we explore and interpret her graphic scores available in the book "Recycling the Work Process" (2023). The artworks were exhibited throughout the year at the Ystads Museum of Arts. So far, we've performed together at Schhh... vardagsrummet (Östra Hoby), Fylkingen Satellit and Ystads konstmuseum.

Alongside commissions of original music, I'm currently working with engraving and arranging. Last years I've had the pleasure working together with Petter Ekman with orchestrations, pre-scoring and transcriptions for the soundtrack to the Icelandic movie "Touch" (Snerting). I've also been happy to work with composers such as Maria W Horn, Sara Parkman, Shida Shahabi, Bergrun Snæbjörnsdottir and Karin Rehnqvist.

2026

31/8 Electric Counterpoint, Helsingborg konserthus, Lilla salen, Helsingborg
2/8 Solo live program. Ingridhill, Åstorp, "Electric Counterpoint" (S. Reich)
2/7 "Metasveta", premiere, Svetlana Riger, violin and tape, HMDK Stuttgart
5-6/6 Lake Studio, Berlin Friedrichhagen, residency
23/4 Café Ray, Helsingborg, solo program (C. Elgh and B. Harrison)
4/1 "In a Hall In a Cave In a Lake In a Mirror", Adam Eriksson, Pascal Jardry and Jesper Nielsen, Khimaira Stockholm

2025

27/12 Electric Counterpoint, Steve Reich, Fobbeck Records Helsingborg
2/11 Jesper Nielsen & Ann Rosén, "Rethinking", Ystads konstmuseum.
1/10 "Jesper plays and plays and plays..." EP, streaming release
21/9 Jesper Nielsen & Ann Rosén, "Rethinking", Ystads konstmuseum.
28/6 Jesper Nielsen & Ann Rosén, "Rethinking" &"MCE" Bryn Harrison, guitar solo Fylkingen Satellit, Schhh vardagsrummet, Östra Hoby.
7/3, Irina Serotyuk & Magnus Holmander, Porträttkonsert, Uruppförandeklubben "Audio waves AW", Västerås konserthus

Education
2014 – 2016 Kungl. Musikhögskolan / Royal College of Music (Stockholm)
Västerländsk konstmusik / Composition Western Art Music, master
2011 – 2014 Kungl. Musikhögskolan / Royal College of Music (Stockholm)
Västerländsk konstmusik / Composition Western Art Music, bachelor
2009 - 2011 Gotlands tonsättarskola / The Gotland School of Music Composition (Visby, Sweden) Kompositionslinje, 2 år

Work
2022 - 2023 Tonis online / Gotlands tonsättarskola / The Gotland School of Music Composition, Teacher in Music Composition for beginners.
2020 - 2026 Taktonika Musiktjänster, Cooperative of composers and Engravers, based in Malmö engraving, printing, arranging, orchestrating, composing
2014 - now, Freelance, composer and guitarist

Representations
2026 Nomination Jury - Guldbaggen, The Swedish Movie Award, Best Original Music Score
2017 - 2019 Samtida musik, Stockholm, Board member, concert producer, marketing
2016 - 2017 Uruppförandeklubben, Stockholm/Västerås board member, concert producer, marketing
2016 - Selected member of Föreningen svenska tonsättare / The Swedish Society of Composers

Scholarships
2026 - Konstnärsnämnden / The Swedish Arts Grants Committee
2-årigt arbetsstipendium / Two year working grant
2025 - Konstnärsnämnden / The Swedish Arts Grants Committee
1-årigt arbetsstipendium / One year working grant
2025 - Helge Ax:son Johnson, Composition grant
2025 - Artist in residence, VICC Studio Beta, Visby
2024 - STIM-stipendium, STIM forward fund
2024 - Artist in residence, Berlin (FST)
2024 - FST stipendium, Föreningen svenska tonsättare
2023 - Artist in residence, VICC notation studio, Visby
2022 - FST stipendium, Föreningen svenska tonsättare
2022 - Artist in residence, Berlin (FST)
2016 - Artist in residence, VICC notation studio, Visby
2016 - The Royal Academy of Music, local scholarship
2015 - Helsingborgs kulturstipendium / The City of Helsingborg's Culture scholarship
2013 - Utbildningsstipendium, Anders Sandrews stiftelse

Works
(for music example: click on underlined titles)

Metasveta (2026) - solo violin and tape, dedicated to Svetlana Riger
Premiere: HMDK, Stuttgart, July 2026

De Te Fabula Narratur (2026) - soprano, accordion
dedicated to Paulina Pfeiffer and Irina Serotyuk

Jesper plays and plays and plays... (2025, EP streaming) - acoustic guitars, improvisations (listen on all streaming platforms)
Tracks: At Sixes and Sevens
             Tumbleweed
             Doldrums 1
             Doldrums 2 - Over empty space
Released on limited edition cassettes, 2026 by Blank Manufacture Technologies

Woe to the Max (2024) - Recorder and organ. Dedicated to Duo Kondens.
Premiered by Duo Kondens, My Eklund & Lisa Oscarsson in Boulder, Colorado (US) 2024.
Score available from SMIC.

Black white white black black (2024) - Childrens choir, Sjungande barn & Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien. Dedicated to and premiered by the singing children on Rådmansvångens skola, Malmö, May, 2024.

A Sinking Feeling (2023) - collaboration with Peter Kvint. STIM, stjärnkrock. Premiered at The Node, Stockholm, 2023.

Ouppfostrad klagovisa (2023) - Recorder solo. Dedicated to My Eklund

Abrovink 1, Abrovink 2 (2017) - Two violins. Dedicated to Anna Lindal, Eva Lindal / Duo Bäver
Score available from SMIC.

Abrovink 1b (2024) - Clarinet and accordion (Magnus Holmander & Irina Serotyuk) Premiered in February, 2025

Abrovink 3 (2018) - Clarinet and accordion (Magnus Holmander & Irina Serotyuk) Premiered in February, 2025

Abrovink 4 (2023) - String Quartet
Score available from SMIC.

 Abrovink 5 (2023) - Miniature for orchestra. Premiered by Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, January 2023

Dream piece (2023) - Percussion solo, tongue drum, glspl, kalimba (Emelie Sjöström) Premiered in Östra Hoby, Sweden, 2023.

Ingensärskildstans (2023) - Saxophone quartet SATB, variation over "Floating" (2009) wind quintet (Gotlandsmusiken)

En ljudande resa genom Sverige (2022- rev. 2023) - Alto saxophone, electric bass, tape and story tellers/actors. (Fredriksdals museer och trädgårdar, Helsingborg, Linn Persson Kornhammar & Rickard N Jokela)
Premiered in the summer 2022, second version summer 2023.

En apelsin berättar (An Orange Tells a Story, 2016) - prep. violin, two percussionists and voice. Premiered at Dome of Visions, KTH, Stockholm in April 2016.

Mönstret i mattan (The Pattern in the Carpet, 2016- rev. 2017) - Orchestra.
Premiered by Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, 2016.

Tre bedrägliga canons / Three Deceptive Canons (2015) - Two Accordion Premiered by Irina Serotyuk & Mara Peiseniece in 2018.

Flemingsberg (2014) for saxophone and piano, v.2 flute and vibraphone, v.3 saxophone and vibraphone
Premiered by Linn Persson & Christopher Hästbacka, S:ta Annas kyrka, Helsingborg, 2014.
Score available from SMIC.

Ett grymt och ohyggligt skämt (2014), Chamber short opera, Libretto. Dimen Hama Abdulla
director: Mårten Forslund
conductor: Ruut Kiiski
Set design: Linn Henriksson Strååt
Costume: Maria Peterson
Make-up: Sophie Amalia Rockwell
Heddie Färdig & Albina Isufi: soprano
Markus Pettersson: tenor
Premiered at Operahögskolan, Stockholm, 2014 with musicians from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Stockholm new Opera 2014.

När små barn gräver gropar (2014), solo guitar

En månad av söndagar (2012), soprano saxophone and tape. Score available from SMIC.