Morten Olsen (born 1961) is a Danish composer.
Olsen began his musical career within electronic jazz fusion music in the 1980s. Today he is connected with modern classical music.
Olsen graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 1992; furthermore, he was educated as a double bassist. Since then, he has composed works for solo instruments, orchestras, and choral works.
In 1990, Olsen was one of the founders of Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, a Danish ensemble. He has also composed four works for Esbjerg Ensemble in the years 2004-2005 and 2007–2008. In later years, he has also worked with various international orchestras, e.g. the French TM+ and Ensemble Alternance.
Morten Olsen is inspired by the classical tradition, but his compositions are marked by an experimenting and unpredictable tonality. His music ranges from dramatic to more somber works.
Carl August Nielsen was a Danish composer, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer.
The earliest traces of Danish music go back to the many twisting Bronze-Age horns or lurs which some experts have identified as musical instruments. They have been discovered in various parts of Scandinavia, mostly Denmark, since the end of the 18th century. Denmark's most famous classical composer is Carl Nielsen, especially remembered for his six symphonies, while the Royal Danish Ballet specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville. Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has acquired an international reputation. The modern pop and rock scene has produced a few names of note, including MØ, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Lukas Graham, D-A-D, Tina Dico, Aqua, The Raveonettes, Michael Learns to Rock, Volbeat, Alphabeat, Safri Duo, Medina, Oh Land, Kashmir, King Diamond, Outlandish, and Mew. Lars Ulrich is the first Danish musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Johan Severin Svendsen was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania, Norway, he lived most his life in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bent Lorentzen was a Danish composer. He was one of the outstanding figures in contemporary Danish music. His works are frequently performed at festivals at home and abroad, and he had established particularly close links with musical life in Poland and Germany. He was honoured with several international prizes and was named Choral Composer of the Year in Denmark in 1989.
Per Nørgård is a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style has varied considerably throughout his career, his music has often included repeatedly evolving melodies—such as the infinity series—in the vein of Jean Sibelius, and a perspicuous focus on lyricism. Reflecting on this, the composer Julian Anderson described his style as "one of the most personal in contemporary music". Nørgård has received several awards, including the 2016 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.
Frederik Reesen Magle is a Danish composer, concert organist, and pianist. He writes contemporary classical music as well as fusion of classical music and other genres. His compositions include orchestral works, cantatas, chamber music, and solo works, including several compositions commissioned by the Danish royal family. Magle has gained a reputation as an organ virtuoso, and as a composer and performing artist who does not refrain from venturing into more experimental projects – often with improvisation – bordering jazz, electronica, and other non-classical genres.
The Tolkien Ensemble is a Danish ensemble which created "the world's first complete musical interpretation of the poems and songs from The Lord of the Rings". They published four CDs from 1997 to 2005, in which all the poems and songs of The Lord of the Rings are set to music. The project was approved by the Tolkien Estate. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark gave permission to use her illustrations on the CD covers.
The Royal Danish Orchestra is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events. The Royal Danish Orchestra presently consists of around 100 musicians. The principal venue for the orchestra's traditional symphony concerts is the Copenhagen Opera House, where the orchestra also serves as the orchestra for the Royal Danish Opera, as well as holding several annual chamber orchestra concerts in the foyer of the smaller experimental stage Takkelloftet. Most ballet and some opera performances takes place at the Old Stage of the Royal Danish Theatre.
James Crabb is a Scottish classical accordion player.
Ólavur Jakobsen, classical guitarist. Studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Ingolf Olsen and received his masters diploma exam in 1995. Further studies in Paris with French guitarist Roland Dyens. Has participated in masterclasses with e.g. Sir Julian Bream and David Russell.
Kjell Maale Roikjer was a Danish composer and bassoonist.
Johann Ernst Hartmann was a Danish classical composer and violinist. He is remembered in particular for his two operas on texts by Johannes Ewald in which he helped creating a national musical style. The first of these, Balders død, builds on the old Nordic mythology and uses dark colours when depicting the old Gods and Valkyries. The second, Fiskerne, describes contemporary fishermen’s lives, and uses melodies inspired by the Scandinavian folk style.
Erik Moseholm was a Danish jazz bassist, composer, bandleader and music administrator. He was the leader of the DR Big Band from 1961 to 1966 and the principal of the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen from 1992 to 1997.
Fredrik Lundin is a Danish jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Having founded his first jazz quartet in 1981, he has become one of the most expressive saxophonists in Danish jazz and also one of the most prolific ones.
Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen was a Norwegian violinist and composer. His composition style is lyrical with a strong grounding in Norwegian folk tunes.
Morten Schuldt-Jensen is a Danish classical conductor.
Geir Øystein Lysne is a Norwegian jazz musician and a famous Big Band leader.
Tróndur Bogason is a Faroese composer and musician. He composes classical works, but he also arranges music for pop, rock and folk artists. He is married to the Faroese singer Eivør Pálsdóttir with whom he also works; they arranged her album Room together. Bogason was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He has been nominated three times for the Nordic Council Music Prize and is one of the few who have received a three-year grant from Mentanargrunnur Landsins.
Sebastian Zawadzki is a Polish-born jazz pianist, composer and film composer living in Copenhagen who has been releasing albums since 2014 as well as composing and arranging music for a wide array of media including TV and films. In his works he incorporates elements of classical, electronic and jazz music.
Anton Kontra was a Hungarian-Danish violinist, concertmaster and leading soloist in the Scandinavian countries.