Per-Olov Kindgren

Swedish classical guitarist, composer and music teacher, born June 10, 1956 in Bogotá, Colombia. He is known for his classical guitar playing, ranging from Bach to The Beatles. Early life Kindgren was born in Bogotá, Colombia, to a Swedish father and a more Danish mother. Kindgren’s father, Owe, an engineer, worked for the Colombian branch of LM Ericsson installing telephone stations. The family returned to Stockholm when Kindgren was three years old. He lived there from 1960 till 1970. At the age of six, Kindgren was fascinated by a bright red electric guitar in a shop window. The Beatles became his heroes, and he especially admired Paul McCartney. His parents gave him a classical guitar for his seventh birthday. In 1970 he saw a documentary about John Williams broadcast on Danish national television, and from that day on, he knew what he wanted to become. When Kindgren was 14 years old, his family moved to the border town of Helsingør in Denmark. There he could more easily attend a Swedish high school in Helsingborg, where he met his first classical guitar teacher, Torvald Nilsson. Professional life In 1976 Kindgren began to study at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where he moved during his studies and where he lives and works today. He studied there for 7 years with professor Per-Olof Johnson until his graduation in 1983. While continuing his studies, he became a music teacher, teaching at music schools in Vallensbæk and Gentofte for 24 years. Presently Kindgren works as a music teacher at the music school in Gentofte, which provides him with a steady living in addition to the concerts he performs. In 1979 he joined with three other guitarists, forming the Nordic Guitar Quartet, which performed more than 400 concerts through the years. Kindgren composes pieces for solo guitar, as well as for duets, trios, quartets, and up to septets and octets for guitar. In 1998 he composed pieces for choir, orchestra, and a rock band for the 25th anniversary of the Vallensbæk music school; in 2000 he composed a Christmas Oratorio for organ, guitar, flutes, choir and narrator. In 2009, the great French guitarist and composer Jean Marie Raymond wrote for him a beautiful piece, a little jewel called “As Always.”. Musical style Kindgren’s style is mainly classical, with influences from jazz, blues, and easy listening. In addition to his classical repertoire, Kindgren also plays works of The Beatles and Metallica. Kindgren likes to describe his own compositions as songs without words.