Alexandra Hallén

One never quite knows what to expect from an encounter with Alexandra Hallén (b. 1988), but her work is consistently grounded in a strong sense of presence, materiality and physicality. The Swedish-born artist, who is based in Denmark, works at the intersection of composition, performance and sound art, investigating the relationships between body, material, sound and perception.

By incorporating physical actions and concrete objects, Hallén brings lived, embodied experience directly into the artistic process. Rather than acting as a neutral mediator of a composer’s intentions, the performer in her works must inhabit real physical and emotional states, allowing resistance, effort and vulnerability to shape the musical outcome.

As a cellist, Hallén is known for a precise and uncompromising approach to sound, with a strong focus on physicality, detail and extended techniques. Her practice has led to close collaborations with numerous contemporary composers, both as a composer and as a performer.

She studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus (Advanced Postgraduate Diploma) and holds a Master’s degree in Composition and Creative Practice from the Hochschule der Künste Bern. Furthermore, she completed an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in performance at the Danish National Academy of Music and holds a Master’s degree in performance from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, with additional studies in Stockholm and Örebro.

Hallén has composed works for ensembles such as Scenatet, Ensemble Mosaik, Distractfold Ensemble, K!art, Transduct Ensemble and Current Resonance. As a cellist, she has performed with Curious Chamber Players.

Her work has been presented, and she has also performed, at festivals and venues including SPOR Festival, KLANG Festival (Copenhagen), Unerhörte Musik (Berlin), Frequenze Festival (Kiel) and Cairo Contemporary Music Days. She teaches composition at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and was awarded the Danish Composers’ Society’s Music Prize in 2019, as well as the Nye Veje scholarship.