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The Norwegian pianist, Mikael Holmlund, started playing the piano around 7 years old. 1996, he entered the piano class at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. After four years of studies for Jens Harald Bratlie, and Einar Steen-Nøkleberg he was awarded a bachelor’s degree with honors, with distinction. Then followed two years in the piano soloist category at the Academy of Music in Hannover, also there for Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, before he turned back to the Norwegian State Academy of Music. In summer 2004, he earned a diploma exam.
Mikael Holmlund has appeared at concerts in a number of different locations in Sweden and Norway as well as in Copenhagen, in the Faroe Islands, Åland, Berlin, Hannover, Brussels, Salzburg, St Petersburg, New York and Cleveland. Four times he has received substantial grants from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm. He has also won first prize in the English Piano Pedagog League contest for young Swedish pianists (1999), second prize in the Concours Grieg (2001) and third prize in the 6th Nordiske Pianistkonkurrence in Nyborg in Denmark (2001).
In 2002, he was the winner of the Soloist Prize. The price consisted in 100,000 kr, a tour organized by the Svenska Rikskonserter and a CD recording on Caprice Records. In April 2004 he received the ConocoPhillips musikkstipend after a contest in competition with other Master’s and graduate students at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. In autumn 2004, he won after an audition at the Norwegian State Academy of Music Kjell Bekkelunds excellent Steinway piano.
Mikael Holmlund has been a soloist with the Bergen filharmoniske Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, touring as a soloist with Norrbottens Youth Symphony Orchestra, participated in radio and television and played two CDs with the Polish-Swedish singer Ania Winek-Albertsson. |
