S.J. Pettersson

Originally from Sweden, S. J. Pettersson resides in Los Angeles where he teaches and composes music. An autodidact of sorts, he privately studied counterpoint, orchestration and orchestral scores by composers as diverse as Bach, Prokofiev, Kurt Weil and Michael Nyman, eventually forging his own unique style – an anachronistic and poly-stylistic blend of 20th century minimalism with romanticism, classicism and jazz.
In 2007 S.J. Pettersson completed his first full orchestral ballet based on the architecture of Antonio Gaudi, Gaudi - Dancing About Architecture. 2009 marked the release of A Dream Play – A Chamber Opera for Soloists and Small Orchestra based on the 1901 play of the same name by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. Selected parts of the opera were performed in New York September 2009 as part of Vox Novus Composer’s Voice concert series, in May 2010 as part of Metropolis Opera Project’s M.O.P Bucket and a concert scenario of the opera had its West Coast premiere / CD release event in June 2010 at Classical Music LA’s concert series at The Lounge in Hermosa Beach and subsequently at the painter Alexey Steele’s renowned Classical Underground venue in October 2010.
In 2011 S.J. Pettersson completed a chamber ballet based on a unique interpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet which was subsequently recorded by some of the finest new classical musicians of today. It’s subsequent release garnished rave reviews both in the US and in Mr. Pettersson’s home land Sweden. A collaboration with the Los Angeles dance/theatre company MiMoDa led to many dance performances to music from all three previous projects. As a film maker, S.J. Pettersson created dance documentary videos titled Freedom of Expression in which the pieces from Romeo & Juliet were performed in public places and landmarks around Los Angeles celebrating the constitutional right to express oneself through dance and movement in public.
A 2012/2013 eight part movement, named and inspired by the 1843 Søren Kierkegaard novel Diary of a Seducer, had its world premiere May 18th in Los Angeles where it was performed in its entirety by S.J. Pettersson’s own chamber group The Krysalis Ensemble. The group consist of the some of the most accomplished soloists and chamber musicians in the Los Angeles area.
A short semi-autographical suite specifically written for The Krysalis Ensemble on the topic of nostalgia and the seasons entitled Les Saisons Mélancoliques was premiered in Los Angeles, July 10th and is due to be digitally released, along with the suite from Diary of a Seducer in the fall of 2014.
A 16 piece song/dance cycle titled The Dracula Letters, based on letters and diary entries from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula from the female protagonists Mina & Lucy’s point of view is S.J. Pettersson’s latest project and will be commercially released in the fall of 2014. This is Mr. Pettersson’s first collaboration with the celebrated mezzo soprano Iris Malkin and features the entire Krysalis Ensemble with the addition of a few guest musicians. Selections from this large work was performed in the fall of 2013 and the CD and the full cycle world premiere is scheduled for October 2014.