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Composition

MASTER’S PROGRAMME IN MUSIC • 120 CREDITS • 2 YEARS

The Master’s programme in Music, Composition, is aimed at students who want to develop their artistry as a composer with a focus on Western contemporary art music. The programme is designed to develop future composers with great artistic and professional ability.

 

The programme involve in-depth studies and specialisation in orchestral composition and chamber music, conducted in close collaboration with professional institutions and ensembles. This places high demands on work discipline, independence, and responsibility.

After completing the programme, you will have well-developed knowledge and skills, as well as a clear artistic identity and aesthetic approach to your creative work. You will be able to compose music at a high artistic level and have developed the ability to study in a self-directed and independent way.

Furthermore, you will have acquired extensive knowledge of entrepreneurship, enhancing your ability to adapt and develop your professional role in a constantly evolving cultural landscape.

The curriculum includes composition, electroacoustic music, instrumentation, and Music as a Profession. Instruction is provided through individual lessons, group teaching, and seminars. Project work and a final degree project are also included.

Bent Sørensen, Professor in Composition
Rolf Martinsson, Professor in Music Theory, Arranging and Composition
Staffan Storm, Professor in Music Theory and Composition
Björn-Tryggve Johansson, Lecturer in Music Theory
Daniel Hjorth, Lecturer in music theory

One of the most significant and unique aspects of the composition programme is the highly sought-after annual external projects in collaboration with leading symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, choirs, and chamber music ensembles. These collaborations provide students with numerous opportunities to have their works rehearsed and performed in concerts while also allowing them to build a valuable professional network within the cultural sector during their studies.

This also lays the foundation for a composer's practical experience and artistic collaboration with orchestras such as Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, the Stockholm Wind Symphony, Jönköping Sinfonietta, and the string orchestra Musica Vitae.

Some projects are carried out in collaboration with the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg. Students participate in projects throughout the entire programme.

Connect Festival is a contemporary music festival organised by the students.

Read more about Connect Festival

The Composition Seminar is a forum for aesthetic discussions, analysis, reflection and meetings with visiting professors, composers and musicians from the field of contemporary art music.

The composition studio serves as the programme’s platform for students' creative work in electroacoustic music, live electronics, and experimental studio production.

The Annik and Lars Leander Foundation awards an annual scholarship for composition students at the Malmö Academy of Music. Students enrolled in the following programmes are eligible to apply:

Master programmes
• Composition Diploma 
• Composition 
• Composition – Scoring for Film and Media 

Bachelor programme 
• Composition 

Read more about the scholarships at Malmö Academy of Music


Every year the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (RSAM) awards national and local scholarships. 

Read more about RSAM’s scholarships

Students at Malmö Academy of Music are offered the opportunity to apply for international exchange studies each year—an excellent opportunity to experience new and inspiring study environments, meet new teachers, explore a different cultural scene, and build new connections.

Read more about international exchange studies

Inter Arts Centre is our platform for electro-acoustic music and a meeting place for collaborations with other art forms such as theatre and the visual arts.

Read more about Inter Arts Center

At the end of the programme, students complete a degree project consisting of a performance component and a creative research component with written reflections. For composition students, the degree project is typically based on a composition project but can also include an exam concert if the student chooses to incorporate that alongside their composition work. On completion of the programme, a Degree of Master in Music, Composition, is awarded.

9 Pieces for Solo Guitar | A collaboration between guitar and composition students | 2023

Quick Facts

Duration
120 ECTS credits / 2 years full-time

Kind of programme
Master's Programme in Music

Language of instruction
Swedish and English 

Application period
2 December 2024 – 15 January 2025. 

Syllabus
Programme Syllabus (PDF 455 kB, new tab)

Entry requirements
General requirements for university studies in Sweden as well as a Bachelor in Music 180 credits or equivalent and successful entrance tests to the Master’s Programme in Music, Composition.

Information about admission

Questions about admission: 
admissions [at] mhm [dot] lu [dot] se
 

Listen to students talking about the programme (subtitles available in English under settings)

Contact

Thea Lundbäck
Programme Coordinator
thea [dot] lundback [at] mhm [dot] lu [dot] se (thea[dot]lundback[at]mhm[dot]lu[dot]se)
+46 40 32 54 25