Jacob Mühlrad
Born in Stockholm in 1991, composer Jacob Mühlrad transcends genre boundaries and combines his Jewish heritage with a contemporary musical language in emotional compositions. His innovative musical language integrates elements such as microtonality and liturgical scales. He studied at the Gotland School of Composition, the Royal College of Music in London, and acquired a master's degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Mühlrad's work deals with eternal themes such as mortality, holiness, and the nature of human nature, expressing a deep connection to the foundations of the universe.
Particularly noteworthy is his choral music, which authentically captures the mystical essence of the Jewish tradition. Following his breakthrough with “Anim Zemirot” in 2013, Mühlrad's compositions “Time” and “Ay Li Lu” were commissioned by renowned choirs on four continents. In 2021, Deutsche Grammophon released the critically acclaimed album “Time” featuring four outstanding choral works performed by the Swedish Radio Choir. Among them is the very personal “Kaddish,” based on Mühlrad's grandfather's experiences in concentration camps.
In his first large-scale orchestral work, “REMS” (Rapid Eye Movement), Jacob Mühlrad explored the mysteries of the dream state. In 2021, REMS was premiered by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Pablo Heras-Casado; a recording of this interpretation was released by Warner Classics in 2023, and a shorter version was also performed in 2023 by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Matthias Pintscher at Suntory Hall. The work takes up motifs from Jewish prayers, lullabies, and Indian ragas, which appear and disappear again in the orchestral flow; in close dialogue with the orchestra's principal players, Jacob Mühlrad developed a specific sound for this work, which also incorporates microtonal composition.
For his new clarinet concerto SEMA, which was premiered in April 2024 by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Martin Fröst with soloist Magnus Holmander and released by Warner in November 2025, he drew inspiration from the choreography of the Sufi dance ritual of the same name. Audiences and critics responded enthusiastically to the “powerful music that transcends religious boundaries” (Dagens Nyheter). Another major premiere followed in the fall: RESIL I, commissioned by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In a second version for orchestra, the work was performed shortly afterwards with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Aivis Greters. The Ensemble Linea under Jean-Philippe Wurtz also premiered a new work commissioned by Radio France as part of the Présences festival in February 2025.
Jacob Mühlrad values cross-border collaborations: he works with artists from other genres, such as rappers 070shake and Silovana Imam, as well as the Swedish House Mafia. He has also ventured into theater and film music, contributing to “Burn All My Letters” by renowned director Björn Runge (“The Wife”). Mühlrad's music is commissioned and performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and the WDR Radio Choir Cologne. He works closely with personalities such as Olga Neuwirth, Martin Fröst, Pablo Heras-Casado, and Matthias Pinscher. His work has been published by Gehrmann Musikförlag, Universal Music, Universal Music Publishing, and, since 2023, by Bosworth Music. He has been a Warner Classic artist since 2022.
