Fleshquartet Composer

Biography

Fleshquartet (Fläskkvartetten in Swedish) was founded in the mid-1980s by musicians Mattias Hellden and Sebastian Öberg (cello), Jonas Lindgren (violin), Örjan Högberg (viola) and Christian Olsson (percussion). From its beginnings as a string ensemble, it has evolved into an experimental group that blends classical music, modern rhythms, rock influences, and Eastern and Nordic folklore. The group has collaborated with numerous artists, including singers (Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, Seven Seconds), composed music for theater and dance, recorded albums (Flow, 1993; Pärlor Från Svin, 1995; Fire Fire, 1996), and composed music for films (most notably in 2010 for the Swedish crime film dedicated to the character of Kurt Wallander created by novelist Henning Mankell). Fleshquartet has toured the world, performing at the New Music Seminar in New York and taking part in the last TV shows of the Soviet Union.

With Mats Ek, the group produced the music for Wet Woman (1993), Appartement (2000), Fluke (2002) and Place (2007). In 2009, Fleshquartet participated with Mats Ek in a series of performances with the company Contemporary Danza de Cuba. It then performed at the Bolshoi Theater between 2013 and 2015. A new album, Unepidemic Sound, was released in 2025. For the revival of Appartement at the Opéra national de Paris in 2025, Fleshquartet is composed of Jonas Lindgren (violin), Örjan Högberg (viola), Leo Svensson Sander (cello) and Christian Olsson (percussion, sampler and computer).