Niklas Willén (born March 30, 1961) is a Swedish
conductor. He was born in
Stockholm and studied conducting and composition there at the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
. His conducting teachers were Professors
Jorma Panula
Jorma Juhani Panula (born 10 August 1930) is a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher of conducting. He has mentored many Finnish conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä and Klaus ...
and Kjell Ingebretsen, while his composition tutors were Ingvar Karkoff and
Daniel Börtz.
Niklas Willén has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ( sv, Kungliga Filharmonikerna or , literal translations, "Royal Philharmonic" or "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra") is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm. Its principal venue is the Konserthuset.
His ...
, Chief Conductor of the Nordic Chamber Orchestra in Sweden and the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
. He has also been Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the
Volkstheater Rostock and the
Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock. He is currently Chief Conductor of the
WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln
The is a German broadcast orchestra of the ' (WDR, West German Broadcasting) in Cologne. The orchestra gives its concerts in such venues as the Kölner Philharmonie and in the Funkhaus Wallrafplatz.
History
Groups from which the orchestra was f ...
in Cologne. Willén works with major orchestras and opera houses in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
, the rest of Europe and the USA. He has recorded for a number of labels including
Naxos
Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ab ...
,
BIS and
Hyperion.
He has 4 children, Linnea, Julius, Hugo and Ossian.
External links
Niklas Willén bio on the
Naxos
Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ab ...
site
Niklas Willénbio on the
Hyperion site
Niklas Willén - conductor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willen, Niklas
1961 births
Living people
Swedish conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
Royal College of Music, Stockholm alumni
21st-century conductors (music)
21st-century Swedish male musicians