Per-Olov Kindgren (born June 10, 1956, in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, Colombia) is a Swedish

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

ist,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and music teacher known for his

playing, ranging from Bach to The Beatles.

Biography

Early life

Kindgren was born in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, to a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

father and a Danish mother. Kindgren's father, Owe, an engineer, worked for the Colombian branch of

LM Ericsson (lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...

installing telephone stations. The family returned to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

when Kindgren was three years old. He lived there from 1960 till 1970. At the age of six, Kindgren was fascinated by a bright red electric guitar in a shop window. The Beatles became his heroes, and he especially admired Paul McCartney. His parents gave him a

for his seventh birthday. In 1970 he saw a documentary about

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

broadcast on Danish national television, and from that day on, he knew what he wanted to become. When Kindgren was 14 years old, his family moved to the border town of Helsingør in Denmark. There he was able to attend a Swedish high school in Helsingborg, where he met his first classical guitar teacher, Torvald Nilsson.

Professional life

In 1976 Kindgren began to study at

The Royal Danish Academy of Music The Royal Danish Academy of Music, or Royal Danish Conservatory of Music ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium), in Copenhagen is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest, with approxima ...

in Copenhagen, where he moved during his studies and where he lives and works today. He studied there for 7 years with professor Per-Olof Johnson until his graduation in 1983. While continuing his studies, he became a music teacher, teaching at music schools in Vallensbæk and Gentofte for 24 years. Presently Kindgren works as a music teacher at the music school in Gentofte, which provides him with a steady living in addition to the concerts he performs. In 1979 he joined three other guitarists, Steffen Broe Christensen, Dag Egil Berge and Torsten Borbye Nielsen, and formed the Nordic Guitar Quartet, which performed more than 400 concerts throughout its existence and also recorded an album called: Images .. with arrangements to A.Vivaldi, M. Ravel, and JS Bach from TB Nielsen. Kindgren composes pieces for solo guitar, as well as for duets, trios,

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

s, and up to septets and

octets Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...

for guitar. In 1998 he composed pieces for choir, orchestra, and a

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

for the 25th anniversary of the Vallensbæk music school; in 2000 he composed a Christmas Oratorio for

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, guitar,

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

s, choir and narrator. In 2009, the great French

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and composer Jean-Marie Raymond wrote for him a beautiful piece, titled "As Always."."As always"

Musical style

Kindgren's style is mainly classical, with influences from jazz,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, and easy listening. In addition to his classical repertoire, Kindgren also plays works of The Beatles and

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

. Kindgren likes to describe his own compositions as songs without words.

Gear

Instrument

For many years Kindgren played a

built by Swiss

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

Philippe Jean-Mairet, which he bought in 1987. A friend of his, Jørgen, had bought a guitar from the Swiss luthier, whom he had met in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

during his studies, and loved its superb quality. Kindgren asked his friend to order a guitar for him, and nine months later he was able to visit Jean-Mairet in Switzerland to test his new guitar. Previously he owned a Martin Fleeson guitar, which he had bought in Manchester, England in 1986 for 25,000 DKK (about €3,350 or $4,400 at the time). One year later Kindgren bought his Jean-Mairet instrument. In the summer 2006, Kindgren went to guitar builder Per Hallgren in Gråbo, near Gothenburg, in order to have the guitar French polished again. In 2009 he started to play a guitar by Per Hallgren and since then he has played several instruments by the Swedish builder. He also plays a 7-string classical guitar given to him by John and Judy Rogerson.

Guitar Support

In his videos, Kindgren can be seen using a Gitano guitar support on his left lap.

Discography

* 1992 - ''Images'', Nordic Guitar Quartet (Primaveramusic) * 2008 - ''After Silence'' (Villa Luisa Records) * 2010 - ''Distant Love'' * 2011 - ''AIR''

Images: Nordic Guitar Quartet (Primaveramusic)

A. Vivaldi

1. Concerto Grosso Op.3 No.8: Allegro, 2. Concerto Grosso Op.3 No.8: Larghetto e Spirituoso, 3. Concerto Grosso Op.3 No.8: Allegro,

J.S. Bach

4. Orchetral Suite No.1, BWV 1066: Courante. 5. Orchetral Suite No.1, BWV 1066: Gavotte 1 and 2. 6. Orchetral Suite No.1, BWV 1066: Forlane. 7. Orchetral Suite No.1, BWV 1066: Minuet 1 and 2. 8. Orchetral Suite No.1, BWV 1066: Bourrée 1 and 2. 9. Orchetral Suite No.1, BWV 1066: Passepled 1 and 2.

M. Ravel

10. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte.

C. Machado

11. Dancas Populares Brasileiras: Ponteio (Agalopado) 12. Dancas Populares Brasileiras: Ciranda (Roda, Roda) 13. Dancas Populares Brasileiras: Catira (Bati Sola) 14. Dancas Populares Brasileiras: Cantiga (Minar) 15. Dancas Populares Brasileiras: Frevo (Isquenta ô pé)

L. Brouwer

16. Cuban Landscape with Rain.

F. Moreno Torroba

17. Estampas: Bailando un Fandango Charro. 18. Estampas: Remanso. 19. Estampas: La Siega. 20. Estampas: Fiesta en el Pueblo. 21. Estampas: Amanecer. 22. Estampas: La Boda. 23. Estampas: Camino del Molino. 24. Estampas: Juegos Infantiles.

References

External links

Per-Olov Kindgren's official site

Per-Olov Kindgren's YouTube Profile

Per-Olov Kindgren's vimeo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindgren, Per-Olov 1956 births Living people Swedish classical composers Swedish male classical composers Swedish classical guitarists Swedish people of Danish descent