Niklas Sivelöv

Biography

Niklas Sivelov was born in Skellefteå in Northern Sweden. His ancestors came from Karelia and Northern Finland.

Sivelov began studying the organ at age of 6 and later winning prizes throughout Scandinavia as an organist, mostly with his own compositions and improvisations. At the age fourteen he switched to piano and he began to practice more seriously. At seventeen, Sivelov attended the Royal College of music in Stockholm, where he studied keyboard and composition, and he made his soloist debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic performing the Bartók Second Piano Concerto in 1991. He continued his studies in Helsinki, Bucharest, Trossingen and London. His repertoire extends from Bach to Contemporary, including a number of Swedish composers. His performance collaborations with conductors include, among others, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leif Segerstam, Thomas Dausgaard, Jukka Pekka Saraste, Kees Bakels, Alan Gilbert, Paavo Berglund, Mario Venzago, John Axelrod and Kazufumi Yamashita. He has performed with the leading orchestras in Scandinavia, Tonhalle Zurich, Suisse Romande and orchestras all over Europe.

Niklas Sivelöv is a dedicated chamber musician. He gives recitals in prestigious venues all over the world and has worked together with Mark Peskanov, Leonid Gorokhov, Martin Fröst, Patrick Gallois and Malena Ernman and, showing another side of his versatility, he has performed and recorded with accordionist Lelo Nika.

Few pianists have the courage and stamina to perform Bach's Das Wohltemperierte Klavier book 1 and 2 in three concerts, as Niklas Sivelöv has done with success in legendary Bargemusic, New York in January, 2010.

The distinctions Niklas Sivelöv has received are many and impressive signifying his position as leading Scandinavian pianist. His recording of his own improvisations over Bellman's music was awarded the important The Independent Music Awards, where he was the first Scandinavian ever won the prize for the best classical album and was elected Winner of Vox Populi poll, a component of the 8th IMA program. Former winners include names like Norah Jones, Tom Waits and Peter Gabriel. Niklas Sivelöv was recently elected for the Steinway Hall of Fame.

He has received the Diapason d'Or (Berwald's Piano Concerto), Cannes nomination for best 20th century recording (Einar Englund's Piano Concerto No.1) and Penguin Record Guide's highest marks (Piano works by Wilhelm Stenhammar and Wilhelm Peterson-Berger). Sivelöv has recently released the recording of Robert Schumann's Piano Sonatas and Stenhammar's two Piano Concertos with Malmö Symphony Orchestra.

Niklas Sivelöv is professor at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen.

Discography