www.peterfriisjohansson.com
By his powerful yet incredibly nuanced sound, his flawless technique and his brilliant musical mind, Peter Friis Johansson has emerged as one of Scandinavia’s most interesting performers. He has toured extensively and appeared at some of the world’s most important venues, including the Concertgebouw – Amsterdam and Musikverein – Vienna, and made his New York debut recital at the ‘International Keyboard Institute and Festival’ in 2014. In 2009 he became the artist in residence at Swedish Radio P2, and has since then been a recurring soloist with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. His performances have been described as groundbreaking, earth shattering and miraculous, he never shies away from challenging tradition and continues to receive the greatest critical praise.
Mr. Friis Johansson is the winner of the 2014 International Piano-e-Competition in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he also received the Franz Schubert award. He has achieved formidable results in other international competitions, such as the Scottish International Piano Competition 2010, the Nordic Piano Competition 2008 and 2010, and the Southern Highlands International Piano Competition 2011, and is also a prize winner in all national competitions. He has made numerous radio recordings that have been broadcast live in the EBU and throughout the world.
Peter Friis Johansson is currently pursuing many projects, including performing the eleven completed piano sonatas by Franz Schubert. Mr. Friis Johansson is also a keen performer of contemporary music and is scheduled to premiere the new piano concerto by Sven-David Sandström with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. He has previously premiered more than fifteen solo and chamber music works by among others Thea Musgrave and Sunleif Rasmussen, and has received prizes and awards for his interpretations of new works.
Apart from his solo career, Mr. Friis Johansson is a highly sought after chamber musician and has performed with many world renowned soloists. He has established duo collaborations with some of the finest European musicians, cellists Andreas Brantelid and Jakob Koranyi. While still a student, Peter recorded cello sonatas by Brahms and Britten together with Jakob Koranyi. The recording was met with great critical acclaim, topped the charts in Sweden, and was dubbed recording of the year 2007 by MusicWeb International.
Together with clarinetist Emil Jonason Mr. Friis Johansson forms the duo Emil&Peter which explores innovative new ways of performing music. Their next program ‘Worst of Emil&Peter’ includes music by Bach, legendary rock band Queen and Arvo Pärt, and will be performed acoustically as well as on the Synthesizer and the Electrical Wind Instrument. They released their debut album ‘Beautiful Insanities’ at their ten year anniversary as a duo in 2012.
Between 2002 and 2010 Mr. Friis Johansson was a student of professors Anders Kilström and Mats Widlund at the Royal Academy of Music and Edsberg Manor in Stockholm, where he completed the bachelor, master, and concert diploma degrees. Since 2008 Peter is working with maestro Konstantin Bogino as his mentor, as well as traveling for lessons with some of the world’s most formidable teachers. Peter began studying the piano at the age of nine under the guidance of Mrs. Inger Flyckt.