Since moving from North Dakota to Sweden in 2008, composer Matthew Peterson has made his mark as an independent and dynamic voice in music, praised for his “mastery of vocal writing and colorful orchestration” (Classical Voice America) and for crafting opera that is “darkly brilliant” (Texas Classical Review) “truly beautiful” (Anne Midgette, Washington Post), and “instantly compelling” (Heidi Waleson, WSJ).

His music defies categorization. Sixty-plus performed works feature mystical soundscapes, atmospheric light-clouds, soaring voices embracing one another midair, airy and elusive constructions of undulating dynamics and flickering facets, powerful zigzag lines, unruly and physically pounding rhythms snorting with life, and songs of devastating simplicity.