Svante Henryson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Svante Henryson
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Henryson performing in 2004
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| Background information | |
| Born | 22 October 1963 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | Jazz, classical, hard rock, fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Instruments | Cello, bass guitar, double bass |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | ECM |
| Associated acts | Oslo Philharmonic, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jon Balke, Ketil Bjørnstad |
Svante Henryson, born on October 22, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden, is a talented musician. He is a composer and plays several instruments, including the cello, bass guitar, and double bass. Svante is known for playing many types of music, like jazz, classical music, and even hard rock.
Contents
Svante Henryson's Musical Journey
Early Life and Learning Music
Svante Henryson grew up in Umeå, a city in northern Sweden. His parents were both involved in education at Umeå University.
When he was 12, Svante started playing bass guitar in a rock band. He was inspired by seeing a female bassist at a concert. Just two years later, he switched to playing jazz and the double bass. A concert by the famous jazz musician Stan Getz at the Umeå Jazz Festival helped him decide to become a professional musician.
Another important moment for him was hearing the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra play in concert. He left his hometown at age 14 to study music. He spent time studying in Härnösand, at Ingesund College of Music, and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. From 1983 to 1984, he was the main double bass player for the World Youth Orchestra.
Starting a Professional Career
While still a teenager and studying music, Svante joined the Oslo Philharmonic orchestra in Norway. He played there from 1983 to 1986. He even made his solo debut with the orchestra, playing a special piece for the bass. After this, he became the orchestra's Assistant Principal Bassist.
From 1987 to 1989, he was the main bass player for the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
Then, Svante made a big change! From 1989 to 1992, he became the bass guitarist for the famous hard rock band led by Yngwie Malmsteen. During this time, he also started teaching himself to play the cello.
Svante Henryson released his first solo album, Enkidu, in 1997. He has also played on many other albums for different artists. He has worked as a session player (a musician hired for recordings) with stars like Ryan Adams, Elvis Costello, and Steve Gadd.
Svante Henryson Today
Today, Svante Henryson writes music for orchestras, choirs, and smaller groups of instruments. In 2007, he wrote his "Electric Bass Concerto." This special piece showed the bass guitar in a new way, as a solo instrument in classical music.
He also worked with Elvis Costello to write songs for the album "For the Stars."
Svante Henryson records music with the ECM record label. He plays with many talented musicians like Jon Balke, Ketil Bjørnstad, and Arve Henriksen.
He also performs in small groups with classical musicians such as Roland Pöntinen and Anne Sofie von Otter. Svante has even been the Musical Director for tours with Anne Sofie von Otter in Asia, America, and Europe.
From 2010 to 2012, Svante was an Artist-in-Residence in Northern Norway. He composed and performed music with the Sami people, who are the native people of that region.
Currently, he is the artistic director of the Umeå Chamber Music Festival. Svante Henryson is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
Awards and Recognitions
Svante Henryson has received many awards for his amazing musical work:
- The Royal Swedish Academy of Music International Studies Scholarship in 1983.
- Spellemannprisen (a Norwegian music award) in 1984 and 1987 for his work with the Oslo Philharmonic.
- Spellemannprisen in 1988 for his work with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and he was named Spellemann of the Year.
- The Nordkraft Prize for jazz soloists in 1997.
- His piece Sonata for Solo Violin was named Chamber Music Piece of the Year in 2010.
- He was named Jazz Musician of the Year ("Jazzkatten") by the Swedish Radio in 2014.
- Svante Henryson received the prestigious Nordic Council Music Prize in 2015.
Svante Henryson's Compositions
Svante Henryson has written many different types of musical pieces. Here are some of his selected works:
Orchestral Music
These are pieces written for a full orchestra:
- Symphony no.1 (1993)
- Legatissimo for cello and orchestra (1996)
- Songs from the Milky Way concerto for cello and orchestra (1997)
- Electric Bass Concerto no. 1 for bass guitar and orchestra (2007)
- Symphony no.2 - Sinfonia Concertante (2009)
- Cello Concerto nr. 2 for cello and orchestra (2010)
Choral Music
These pieces are written for choirs (groups of singers):
- Eyes of a Child for five voices without instruments (1999)
- Himlar av Djupaste Glädje for soprano, mixed choir, and piano (2007)
- DoReMi SaReGa for cello, men's choir, and jazz trio (2009)
- Vidderna Inom Mig for cello, mixed choir, children's choir, and chamber orchestra (2011)
Chamber Music
These are pieces for smaller groups of instruments:
- Suite Off Pist for saxophone and cello (1996, 2019)
- Colors in D for solo cello (2001-2008)
- Sarabande Metamorphose for cello and piano (2007)
- Sonata for Solo Violin (2009)
- Rain for cello and piano (2013)
- String Quartet no. 1 (2018)
- Light Touches for cello and double bass (2020)
- String Quartet no. 2 (2022)
Selected Recordings
Here are some of the albums Svante Henryson has played on or composed for:
- Yngwie Malmsteen – Eclipse (1990) – played bass guitar and double bass.
- Yngwie Malmsteen – Fire & Ice (1992) – played bass guitar, double bass, and cello.
- Svante Henryson – Enkidu (1997) – his first solo album.
- Anne Sofie von Otter/Elvis Costello – For the Stars (2000) – he composed and played cello, double bass, and bass guitar.
- Ryan Adams – Demolition (2002) – played cello.
- Ketil Bjørnstad & Svante Henryson – Night Song (2011) – played cello and composed.
- Wolfgang Muthspiel – Vienna World (2013) – played cello.
- Katarina & Svante Henryson - High, Low or In Between (2014) – played cello and composed.
- Svante Henryson – Frånvarons speglar/Mirrors of absence - 24 songs (2019) – composed.
