Ale Carr hails from the Skåne region in southern Sweden, where he grew up in a family of folk musicians. Together with his parents and siblings they would perform as ‘Familjen Carr’ (the Carr Family), something which created a strong foundation for his musicianship. Growing up Ale played an arsenal of instruments until finally, as a 14-year-old, he got his hands on a cittern which today has become his signature instrument. Self-taught on the cittern until he began his formal studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Ale has been inspired and learnt much from musical pioneers like Ale Möller, Roger Tallroth and Olle Lindvall. Today, Ale is recognised as one of the leading players of plucked string instruments within the Nordic music tradition. Also a prominent fiddler, Ale became a Riksspelman at the age of 19. In 2017 he became the world champion of clog-fiddle, a traditional instrument from Skåne. Since 2015 Ale is the artistic director of Folkrot, a festival which celebrates the traditional music from Skåne.
In his early teenage years, Ale was determined to challenge and develop the traditional music that he loved. Influenced by his father’s Danish heritage, Ale found his way into Denmark’s folk music scene and, together with Nikolaj Busk and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, founded the band Dreamers’ Circus in 2009, as well as joining the Danish band Basco in 2010. Other collaborations include duos with Esko Järvelä and Pekka Kuusisto, and through his various projects Ale has performed his music with symphony orchestras, big bands, choirs, and chamber ensembles like the Danish String Quartet. He now performs on stages all over the world as diverse as Sydney Opera House, Roskilde Festival, Royal Albert Hall, and Hayao Miyazaki’s personal atelier in Japan. He has been awarded ten Danish Music Awards, including Artist of the Year and Composer of the Year.
Ale has been teaching at Malmö Academy of Music since 2011, mainly in music theory and main instrument, but he also teaches ensemble and gives seminars on various subjects.