Emmy Lindström

Emmy Lindström (b. 1984) was born and raised in Linköping. She started playing the violin at her own request at the age of five, and wrote down her first composition at the age of eight.

In her teens, she toured in Sweden, the Nordic countries and the USA with the chamber ensemble Coll’arco, under the direction of violinist Päivikki Wirkkala-Malmqvist. After studying music at De Geer High School in Norrköping, studies followed at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

In the middle of the 00s, Emmy worked for several years as a first violinist at Östgötateatern, and appeared both on and off stage in several productions. Her most notable appearance was in Joseph Stein’s Fiddler on the Roof, where she was the hub of the show and was cast as a mysterious, androgynous fiddler who both acted and played on stage.

During the same period she composed for smaller ensembles; Tintomara, for guitar and flute was ordered by Haga Duo and has i.a. played on tour in Sweden and in Australia. This time can also be described as a bittersweet, melancholy and romantic period, in which she composed commissioned works such as Song About Em, In Memoriam (in memory of a childhood friend), Songs to Emelie (in memory of a family who died in the 2001 Tsunami) and Reflection, When I Turned Myself Inside Out (clarinet and piano, for Emil Jonason's Diploma Concert at KMH).

In 2009, Emmy received her Bachelor's degree in violin at KMH after studying for Cecilia Zilliacus. After that, she studied for a period in the composition line and pursued Master studies in violin at KMH. In parallel with her university studies, she took private composition lessons for Rolf Martinsson and Albert Schnelzer.

In the spring of 2010, her Magnolia, for solo clarinet was performed throughout Europe during Emil Jonason's tour as Rising Star. The work was commissioned by Jonason for this tour and was played on stages such as Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Wien MusikVerein, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, L’Auditori in Barcelona and more. Jonason also played the work at Stockholm's Concert Hall, around Sweden and it has also been broadcast on Swedish Radio P2.

In the season of 2017/18, Lindström's newly composed clarinet concerto At the Hills of Hampstead Heath was commissioned and performed around Sweden by four orchestras. The work became very popular, and was broadcast several times in SR P2. For the work, she was also nominated for the Music Publishers' Award Large Ensemble in the autumn of 2018. The work was the starting shot for her brilliant career as a composer of high rank in Sweden.

The following season was Lindström Composer in Residence with Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. With the 21-movement work The Lost Clown, which was played divided over the year, she was represented as a composer at virtually every production during the season. The work is a reflection of Arnold Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire and was performed in its entirety during September 2019. The concert was also recorded by Swedish Radio P2.

In the summer of 2019, At the Hills of Hampstead won the international competition Kaleidoscope International Vocal and Instrumental Competition in Los Angeles, USA. Out of over 1600 competitors, the work with Emil Jonason was selected for the finals, from which he emerged victorious. Emmy's work was the only contemporary work in the final.

In the spring of 2020, Barn av Ros and Förgätmigej for soprano, tenor, children's choir and orchestra, was premiered by Norrlandsoperan. The work revolves around texts from Rose Lagercrantz's book "If you still exist" and the work is composed in reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child becoming incorporated in Swedish law the same year.

Emmy's music has been praised in the press and described as emotional and moving, but also with humorous elements in a fine balancing act. With a broad musical background and roots in the Swedish choral tradition, classical music, jazz / folk / show / musical, she often surprises with new approaches in her music. She often writes music based on writing, her own or existing ones such as Shakespeare, Lagercrantz, Lantz and others.

Emmy is also a registered nurse, and works mainly in psychiatry and rehab. She describes her professions as they all enrich each other, and make her grow as a person on all levels.

Biography taken from composer’s website.