“The Thore Ehrling-Award for 2018 is bestowed upon Peter Nordahl for his wide-ranging achievements across multiple genres, most notably as a conductor and composer. Everything Peter Nordahl does is characterized by the highest level of artistic quality [and] ingenious elegance.”
Musikerförbundet, STIM and Folkets hus och parker, 2018
“[Peter Nordahl:] Official purveyor of musical arrangements to the Royal Household. His orchestral fusion of jazz and pop has created a new art form.”
The Swedish Society of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (SKAP) Award, 2017
TODAY
Over the past decade, Peter Nordahl has established himself as one of Scandinavia’s most respected and creative composer/conductors, be it in the concert hall, the cinema, theatrical productions, or the recording studio.
Nordahl masters the combined arts of composing, conducting, and producing, moving effortlessly between the seemingly incompatible genres of classical and popular music.
As a conductor, Peter Nordahl works regularly with Sweden’s major symphony orchestras. As a record producer, he is one of few still entrusted with presenting full-length albums. As a composer and arranger Peter moves easily between musical genres – and yet somehow manages to always place his own musical mark on the resulting work. He composes contemporary classical pieces for orchestra and chamber music ensembles, alongside scores for film and television.
LOOKING BACK
In the beginning there was jazz; Peter traveled the world and cut lauded albums with his eponymous piano trio, the Peter Nordahl Trio. They forged successful collaborations with musicians and singers such as James Moody, Steve Grossman, Stacey Kent and Lisa Ekdahl.
Ever wishing to delve deeper into the world of music, Peter found himself increasingly writing symphony orchestra arrangements for, among others, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Opera, the Malmö Opera, and for international recording artists such as Il Divo and Agnetha Fältskog.
Peter pursued his deepening passion for the world of classical music and the orchestra through private conducting classes for professor Lars Benstorp, as well as conducting classes at the Royal Academy of Music in Malmö for Patrik Andersson. Peter made his conducting debut at the Malmö Opera in 2003, and since then he has conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm Royal Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra, the Malmö Opera Orchestra, the Stockholm Opera Orchestra, the Umeå Opera Orchestra – as well as a plethora of session orchestras within his various producing commitments.
As a producer, Peter has produced over 80 albums, working with international recording artists such as Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Skifs, Carola, Sven-Bertil Taube, Myrra Malmberg, Måns Zelmerlöw, Jill Johnson, and Orphei Drängar to mention but a few. Twelve albums produced by Peter have been nominated for Grammys, and his collaborations with Gunnar Bergsten, Bernt Rosengren and Sven-Bertil Taube have brought home the coveted award. Peter has also produced a couple of albums with his trio and Lisa Ekdahl on vocals that are, to date, the best-sellingest Swedish jazz recordings internationally ever, with more than 1 million copies sold.
Peter has a Masters Degree in Composing for film from the Royal Academy of Music in Malmö, where he studied under the tutelage of Hans Gefors.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
3 Grammy Awards
12 Grammy Nominations
1 Guldbagge nomination for Best Film Score (Monica Z, 2014)
Sjösala Award 2017
SKAP Award 2017
Thore Ehrling Award 2018