Magnus Martensson

Magnus Martensson

Magnus Martensson is Music Director of The Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra of New York, an orchestra he co-founded in 2002. Between 1997 and 2006 he conducted the Slee Sinfonietta while also serving as a Visiting Professor/Conductor at SUNY Buffalo.

In the past few seasons Martensson has conducted the New York New Music Ensemble, the Trondheim Soloists (Norway), Musica Vitae (Sweden), ICE (New York) and at the Monday Evening Concert Series (Los Angeles), The Manhattan School of Music, and Teatro San Martin (Buenos Aires).

In 1989, Mr. Martensson made his operatic debut in Malmö, Sweden, conducting a production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and has subsequently conducted productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Puccini’s Tosca, among others. He has premiered over 70 new works and conducted several world premiere recordings, including orchestral music by David Felder and Jeffrey Stadelman.

As a composer, Mr. Martensson has been featured at festivals including the June in Buffalo and the Mid-American Contemporary Arts Festivals. His one act opera Before the Law, based on Kafka’s work, was premiered in Buffalo in 1997. Among his other works are Sonata for Two Violins, Two Poems of e.e. cummings, OGNAT Quartet, and Kvasir for Strings, performed most recently at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Mr. Martensson began his musical training in his hometown Malmö, studying piano, viola, voice, guitar, and conducting. He completed his conducting studies at The Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received the Darius Milhaud Award for outstanding musicianship.

Mr. Martensson has recorded for the Mode, Centaur, and Mindfeel record labels.