Since moving from North Dakota to Sweden in 2008, the Swedish/American composer Matthew Peterson has swiftly made his mark as an independent, vital new voice in composition, with his “mastery of vocal writing and colorful orchestration” (Classical Voice America) and his operas that have been described as “truly beautiful” (The Washington Post) “darkly brilliant” (Texas Classical Review) and “startlingly immediate” (Wall Street Journal). He is a composer who moves dynamically between socially-relevant contemporary operas, colorful orchestra works celebrating a great and powerful nature, playful and virtuosic solos, and shimmering, lyrical choral works. Recent commissions by Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center, Uppsala Vokalensemble, Sofia Vokalensemble, Fort Worth Opera, Trio Lindgård Rodrick Öqvist, Gustav Sjökvists Chamber Choir, Tartu University Chamber Choir, Northwestern University, guitarist Mårten Falk, and saxophonist Linn Persson. His work has been awarded numerous prizes in the US and Sweden, including the ASCAP Nissim Prize for best orchestral work, grand prize in the Uppsala Composer Competition, and the Fort Worth Frontiers award for new opera. He has received grants and funding from US Fulbright, STIM, ASCAP, Svensk Musik, Swedish Arts Council, and FST (Swedish Composers Association). His chamber and solo music has been featured on festivals Svensk Musikvår, Ljudvågor, and Sound of Stockholm (Sweden), Boston Ahts (USA) and Purpur (South Africa). Recent and upcoming world premieres include Washington National Opera’s January 2017 world premiere of the chamber opera Lifeboat (a John F. Kennedy Center Commission), Fort Worth Opera’s April/May ‘17 world premiere production of the chamber opera Voir Dire, the Oct. ‘17 world premiere of Lux Aeterna by Gustav Sjökvist Chamber Choir, Nov. ‘17 world premiere of “smooth fat nasty” by saxophonist Linn Persson, March ‘18 premiere of “Peregrinations” by guitarist Mårten Falk, the June ’18 premiere of Södergran Dikter by Uppsala Vokalensemble, and the October ’18 premiere of Cantate Domino and Adoramus Te by Sofia Vokalensemble. Born 1984 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, he graduated from Gotland Composer School (A.D. ‘09), Indiana University (M.M. ’08), and St. Olaf College (B.M. ’06), where his teachers included Sven-David Sandström and Mary Ellen Childs. Peterson has taught composition and related subjects at institutions including Gotlands tonsättarskola, Indiana University, and Lilla Akademien. A freelance composer, he lives in Dalarna.