Staffan Mårtensson

Biography for Staffan Mårtensson, Kungliga Operan, January 2024

Name: Staffan Mårtensson

Nationality: Swedish. Born in Linköping 1964

Artistic education:

• Stockholm Royal College of Music (clarinet and conducting)
• Rotterdam College of Music, the Netherlands (teacher: Walter Boeykens)
• Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada

Employed at the Royal Swedish Orchestra since 2001

Career, in brief:

Staffan Mårtensson, Principal Clarinet of the Royal Swedish Opera, performs as a soloist and at festivals throughout Europe, notably with orchestras like Wiener Concert Verein, Bratislava Radio Philharmonic, Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Basse-Normandie and Prague Chamber Philharmonic. His repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary works, and he is also a skilled jazz improviser.

1992-2001, he held the position of Principal Clarinet in Gävle Symphony Orchestra.

His many CD:s include Clarinetto con forza (Phono Suecia), Stockholm Chamber Jazz (Daphne), Mozart/Copland/Fernström Concertos (Mindfeel), as well as works by Brahms, Schumann and contemporary composers.

Staffan is a busy conductor, with recent engagements at the Royal Opera, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Royal Army Band, SoFo Chamber Orchestra and the Swedish Wind Ensemble. He is Principal Conductor of the S:t Tomas Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm. He is the Artistic Director of Östergötland Music Days.

Soloist/Conductor at the Royal Swedish Opera:

• Copland Clarinet Concerto as a part of the ballet Dreamland (2005, 8 performances)
• Conductor/Musical Director of Var är smörgåsen? opera production (2023, 37 performances)
• Conductor of Mozart Gran Partita for Winds, Operan Play (2020)

Awards and scholarships:

• 2014, Recipient of the royal medal Litteris et Artibus for contributions to Swedish musical life
• 2006, Grammis (Swedish Grammy) as Classical Soloist of the Year, for his CD Clarinetto con forza
• 1990, Winner, Lansering-90 (nation-wide soloist competition)
• 1990, 2nd Prize, Tromp Music Competition, Eindhoven, the Netherlands