Biography
Jan Erik Mikalsen is a young composer currently living in Oslo, Norway. He has studied at the Grieg academy in Bergen, Norway with Morten Eide Pedersen and at the Royal Danish Music Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark where he had teachers such as Bent Sørensen and Hans Abrahamsen.
He is a member of the Norwegian society of composers and the new music composer group.
He has had a number of pieces performed by orchestras, including several world premieres by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Stavanger/- and the Norrköping symphony orchestra, the Sibelius-academy/- and the Kristiandsand symphony orchestra and by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
In 2006 he, with three other Norwegian composer released the CD Lights Out with the Norwegian radio orchestra.
He has recieved comissions from Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Bloch, Oslo Sinfonietta, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Bodø Sinfonietta, Poing, Bjørn Nyman, Bård Ask, Jacques Dupriez, Orchestre Francais de Flutes and Pierre-Yves Artaud, Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra, The guitar duo Frevo, Ellen S. Bøtker, Lina F. Braaten, Manger Musikklag, Håkon Nilsen, Jorunn Myklebust Syvertsen and Trond Magne Brekka.
He has won awards including the De Unges Konsert (concert of the youths). He has also won the 1st prize of the Nordic/Baltic Composer Competition with the Stavanger symphony orchestra, including a world premiere of the piece Ghouls & Moons.
He is regularly collaborating with the artist Bård Ask, witch has resulted in exhibitions both in Bergen and Oslo. They won a prize at the autumn exhibition in Oslo fall 2005 with the work Notio Viri Placet. The Norwegian radio’s boys choir (NRKs sølvguttene) performed the work.
He has been performed at several festivals, including Présences festival (Radio France), Pablo Casals festival, Ultima festival, Nordic Music Days, Festival Nordico at Casa da Musica, UNM festival, 4K festival etc.
He has been Musical saw soloist with Oslo Sinfonietta, the Norwegian Rdio Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta and Stavanger Contemporary Ensemble. The 28th of September 2006 he was soloist in his own piece Saws of Pygar with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo Spektrum.