We count Johannes Möller among those few whose artistry is entirely his own. Acquiring his skills in both performance and composition at an early age in a free setting provided Johannes with the highly characterised and idiosyncratic voice that many listeners around the world have come to admire. It seems clear that it was an instinctive urge to create that drove this course, and with these beginnings Johannes was set to become an icon of 21st century music-making.

As with many of his predecessors, his rise to recognition wasn’t entirely unguided. Receiving advanced training in both London (Royal College of Music) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam Conservatory and Royal Conservatoire) equipped Johannes with the tools necessary to dominate both aspects of his identity as a composer-performer. During this period he also spent considerable time working with prominent European musicians, all with the aim of discovering what had then become his central musical goal: a compositional style informed by global musics.

A Swedish national who had spent the first part of his life living around Europe and travelling extensively, it is evident how Johannes first became associated with the global village. For him, world cultures were more than an influence to be worked out on the page in subtle musical allusions and hidden references. They were something to be assimilated into explicit musical structures, thereby sharing with listeners an almost tangible experience of that sound-world he set out to create. Using this approach, Johannes realised he could continually reinvent both himself and the work he produced.

Many of Johannes’ compositional achievements belie the fact that he remains a product of the 19th century music tradition, where performance excellence featured alongside musical creativity. His conservatoire training and championing of the classical canon (particularly his early success as an international competition performer) were well documented before his compositions gave him an entirely separate identity as a writer of music. Though his music contains many details commonly found in the works of highly trained instrumental performers, there is much about Johannes’ artistry that goes beyond what any institution has taught him. It is this balance of training and intuition, tradition and innovation that marks Johannes out as a unique, global musical voice.

We count Johannes Möller among those few whose artistry is entirely his own. Acquiring his skills in both performance and composition at an early age in a free setting provided Johannes with the highly characterised and idiosyncratic voice that many listeners around the world have come to admire. It seems clear that it was an instinctive urge to create that drove this course, and with these beginnings Johannes was set to become an icon of 21st century music-making.

As with many of his predecessors, his rise to recognition wasn’t entirely unguided. Receiving advanced training in both London (Royal College of Music) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam Conservatory and Royal Conservatoire) equipped Johannes with the tools necessary to dominate both aspects of his identity as a composer-performer. During this period he also spent considerable time working with prominent European musicians, all with the aim of discovering what had then become his central musical goal: a compositional style informed by global musics.

A Swedish national who had spent the first part of his life living around Europe and travelling extensively, it is evident how Johannes first became associated with the global village. For him, world cultures were more than an influence to be worked out on the page in subtle musical allusions and hidden references. They were something to be assimilated into explicit musical structures, thereby sharing with listeners an almost tangible experience of that sound-world he set out to create. Using this approach, Johannes realised he could continually reinvent both himself and the work he produced.

Many of Johannes’ compositional achievements belie the fact that he remains a product of the 19th century music tradition, where performance excellence featured alongside musical creativity. His conservatoire training and championing of the classical canon (particularly his early success as an international competition performer) were well documented before his compositions gave him an entirely separate identity as a writer of music. Though his music contains many details commonly found in the works of highly trained instrumental performers, there is much about Johannes’ artistry that goes beyond what any institution has taught him. It is this balance of training and intuition, tradition and innovation that marks Johannes out as a unique, global musical voice.