The Swedish pianist Jonas Olsson has established himself as one of the most adventurous piano soloists on the Scandinavian new music scene today. Having initially studied with Hans Pålsson in Gothenburg, finishing with a soloist diploma and making his debut with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2007, he moved to Germany for a year at the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt, followed by two years with Pierre-Laurent Aimard in Cologne, specialising in contemporary solo repertoire. Another important influence came from working intensely with Pierre Boulez as a member of the Lucerne Festival Academy between 2006 and 2009, where he took on several big solo parts, including “sur Incises” and “Répons” by Boulez and “Des canyons aux étoiles” by Messiaen.
Based alternately in Sweden and Germany, Jonas enjoys a busy concert schedule, appearing at major venues such as Lucerne Festival, Klavierfestival Ruhr, Aldeburgh Festival, Carnegie Hall and the NY Phil Biennial. Recent highlights include the complete Boulez sonatas (Copenhagen’s Klang Festival in 2015), a Rebecca Saunders portrait concert (Aldeburgh Festival in 2016) and a series of concerts focusing on the piano works of Sciarrino and Xenakis (Klang Festival again, 2021 and 2022).
Jonas’ repertoire comprises a large selection of works from the most important late 20th century composers such as Boulez, Stockhausen, Messiaen, Berio, Nono, Ligeti, Carter, Lachenmann (with whom he has worked closely on several occasions), Xenakis, Ferneyhough and Sciarrino. Equally important is his commitment to a younger generation of composers, often collaborating closely on exploring new playing techniques.