Mats Ulf Stefan Björlin (21 May 1933 – 23 October 1993) was 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 ...

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

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

. Bjorlin was known for being one of the most active opera composers in the 20th century. Björlin was born in

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 ...

in 1933. He studied music with conductor Igor Markevitch in Salzburg, Austria at age 19 and later continued his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, with teacher Nadia Boulanger. After completing his military service, he worked at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

in Stockholm and at the Malmö College of Music. From 1962, he was employed as musical producer at

Sveriges Radio Sveriges Radio AB (, "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is d ...

and wrote music for several movies and television productions, including the series of films and TV series about the children on the island Saltkråkan (Seacrow Island), based on

Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on- ...

's scripts. He also worked as music director for many years under

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. Bjorlin came to the United States in 1977. He served as guest conductor for the London Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He worked with Evert Taube, his neighbor from a very young age. Later, together with

Sven-Bertil Taube Sven-Bertil Gunnar Evert Taube (24 November 1934 – 11 November 2022) was a Swedish singer and actor. Internationally, he was perhaps better known for his acting career. Taube played Henrik Vanger in the film ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' ...

, he also produced a number of recordings of songs by Carl Michael Bellman, Evert Taube and

Ulf Peder Olrog Ulf Peder Olrog (27 February 1919 – 13 February 1972) was a Swedish folklorist, lecturer, composer, songwriter, and radio personality. He was born in Stockholm to Thorvald Olrog and Hervor Jeanna Amalia Andrén. He studied at the Universi ...

. He conducted several recordings of orchestral music by fellow Swedes

Johan Helmich Roman Johan Helmich Roman (26 October 1694 – 20 November 1758) was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called "the father of Swedish music" or "the Swedish George Frideric Handel, Handel." He was the leader of Swedish Opera through most of Swedish ...

and Franz Berwald. During the last years before his death, he worked in Florida mostly, where he was conductor of the Greater Palm Beach Symphony (since 1987) and the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. He had composed important work such as the "Musical Portrait of Raoul Wallenberg" in the years before his passing and several operas. He was known to be the most active opera composer in the world in the 20th century. In his days he recorded several albums for the EMI label. He died in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

at the age of 60. The cause was leukemia. Björlin received among other prizes the Fritz Gustaf Grafström Prize in 1961 and shared the Evert Taube Prize with Sven-Bertil Taube in 1975. He received the Swedish Music Achievement prize, In 1980, he received the 'Golden key' to the city of Newport, Rhode Island for his musical achievements and for bringing culture to their town. The 7th (?) of September was declared 'Maestro Ulf Bjorlin Day' by the Mayor of Newport. He is the father of actress

Nadia Bjorlin Nadia Alexandra Bjorlin (born August 2, 1980) is an American actress, singer, and model. Early life Bjorlin was born on August 2, 1980 in Newport, Rhode Island. She is the second eldest child of Swedish people, Swedish composer and conductor Ulf ...

and musicians Ulf Bjorlin Jr., and Jean-Paul Bjorlin. Björlin also has two other sons, Henrik Björlin and Fredrik Björlin. At the time of his passing, it was noted that he was survived by his wife, Fary; three daughters: Nadia, of Palm Beach, Katja Salen of Stockholm, and Kamilla Pariser of Marblehead, Mass.; three sons: Ulf Jr and Jean-Paul, both of Palm Beach, and Kaj, of Stockholm; two brothers, and two grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjorlin, Ulf 1933 births 1993 deaths Swedish composers Swedish male composers Swedish conductors (music) Male conductors (music) 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century composers Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen 20th-century Swedish male musicians 20th-century Swedish musicians