I am very pleased to announce that most of my compositions are now available to purchase from Svensk Musik, the official sheet music store of Swedish copyright affiliation STIM. My complete catalogue should be up soon, but there is a good chunk of it available already! Perusal scores PDFs are available for instant download. Check it out!

My Requiem from 2016 will be performed in concert during this year’s International Organ Festival in Göteborg. Lux Vocal Ensemble will perform the piece together with Henrik Kilhamn (piano) and a string orchestra helmed by Johan Stern, conducted by Ulrike Heider. The concert takes place at Domkyrkan on October 15, 2024, at 19.30.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://billetto.se/e/refugee-journeys-mikael-carlsson-requiem-2016-biljetter-1077261

It’s been 15 years since I was commissioned by the Swedish Church to compose an original work to be premiered at the LGBTQ festival in Göteborg. My 30 minutes Rainbow Suite, an a cappella work in six movements each and one inspired by the meaning of the six colours of the rainbow flag, was premiered by Haga Motettkör in May 2009. Now, the work will finally be reprised in concerts with the same choir, still under the leadership of Ulrike Heider, in concerts taking place in Stockholm, Göteborg and Arboga.

I’m excited to revisit the music and we’ve just begun rehearsals with the choir! Concerts will take place in Göteborg at Domkyrkan on November 16, in Hägersten (Stockholm) on November 23 and in Arboga (S:t Nicolai kyrka) on November 24.

Haga Motettkör recently premiered my setting of Puer natus in Bethlehem, the classic text depicting the arrival of Jesus Christ, as part of their christmas concert Nine Lessons and Carols. The piece was commissioned by the Church of Sweden and the performance was conducted by Ulrike Heider. Here is a recording from the premiere.

I haven’t written a lot of pieces for male choir, but had the opportunity to write a new setting of Swedish poet Gustaf Fröding’s “Det är fullbordat” (“It is Finished”) for Göteborgs Manskör to be included in their passion-themed concert where Thomas Tallis’ Lamentations of Jeremiah was the main work of the program. I am very grateful for a beautiful premiere performance. Here is a video with the choir conducted by Mathias Harms in concert at the St Nicolai church, Lidköping.

Happy to share this video featuring the wonderful Adolf Fredriks kyrkas kammarkör’s performance of my setting of Moder Teresas fredsbön (“Mother Teresa’s Prayer for Peace”), conducted by Christoffer Holgersson in concert in i Christ Church, Dublin, Ireland, on December 3, 2022.

It took more than two years between completion of the composition and the first performance, but here it is: the world premiere of my setting of ‘Stabat Mater’, written for mixed choir and solo cello. My heartfelt thanks to Christian Berg whose sensitive, expressive playing was truly magnificent, and as always to my beloved Haga Motettkör and conductor Ulrike Heider. Also thanks to Sten Dereman for the recording! I hope that you will all enjoy the music, which is perhaps a little more dissonant, challenging and agitated in places than usual (for me).

Mother Goose Recordings has released a digital single featuring my setting of the beloved Swedish psalm, “Den blomstertid nu kommer”, written in 2011 and dedicated to my wife. Haga Motettkör performs under the direction of Ulrike Heider. The music is available for streaming and download on all digital platforms worldwide, including Spotify!

“I denna ljuva sommartid” is one of the most beloved Swedish summer psalms, composed by Nathan Söderblom in 1916. For a quick recording project with the newly formed Göteborgs Manskör, I did a colourful a cappella arrangement of the piece for male voices. Here it is in full bloom, conducted by Mathias Harms. Thanks to all the singers who participated to record in these difficult times!

“Waiting”, a setting of the exquisite poem by the American naturalist John Burroughs (1837-1921), was premiered by Haga Motettkör under the direction of Ulrike Heider on November 2, 2019. I wrote the piece as a 40th birthday gift to my dear friend Johanna Ek Wahlqvist, who gave me the poem some time ago telling me the story of how she grew up reading the lines as featured on a hanging tapestry in her family’s summer house. This is the end result, recorded in concert at Hagakyrkan, Göteborg.