Gunnar Idenstam,born in 1961 in the extreme north of Sweden, is a concert organist, composer, arranger and folk musician. In 1984, he was awarded the 1:st prize in the prestigious improvisation competition "Grand Prix de Chartres" and since then he pursues a career which takes him to many parts of the world.
As an interpreter, trained in the classical french tradition by among others the legendary Marie-Claire Alain, he has a special love for the music of Bach and of some of the french cathedral repertoire. His style as a composer/improviser is a felicitous amalgamation of art music, folk music and the more symphonically oriented rock music that represents something not previously attempted in organ music. As an arranger he reproduces all the colours of the symphony orchestra on the organ, for example in transcriptions of orchestral works by Mahler and Ravel. He also arranges different kind of popular ethnic music like "Riverdance". As a folk musician he stands quite apart in his transposition of the idiomatic details of the swedish folk music tradition to church organ or harmonium and keyboard for example in his folk music group Idens Kapell.
He has frequently appeared in Scandinavian television and he constantly collaborates with top musicians from different genres; with the singer Håkan Hagegård, the soprano saxophonist Anders Paulsson, and the trombone virtuoso Christian Lindberg in a spectacular program with own arrangements of orchestra works that was highly praised in spanish press after their recital in a sold out Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, and in Oslo Concert Hall last January.
He has written commissioned works for Wermland Classic Festival, Lahti Organ Festival and for various groups in the nordic countries. His music (Cathedral Music) has been used in choreographer Margareta Åsberg´s work, and he has composed original music for choreographer and dancer Virpi Pahkinen.
His latest solo CD is of his own work "Cathedral Music" (BIS-Northern Lights). In 2004 was the release of a swedish folk music CD in surround with Johan Hedin, nyckelharpa, and the duo is ever since frequently touring Europe and Japan. As a soloist Gunnar Idenstam has, the last seasons, given recitals in for example Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Monaco Cathedral, Kölner Philharmonie Konzertsaal, Concert Hall Ivan Cankar in Ljubljana and Svetlanov Hall in Moscow. The season 2008-09 includes perfomances in Oslo Konserthus, Passau Cathedral, Béla Bartok Concert Hall in Budapest, S:t Eustache Cathedral in Paris and again in Svetlanov Hall in Moscow.
Masters degree of Fine Arts in Church Music at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm under Rune Engsö, Anders Bondeman and Torvald Torén in 1983. Soloist Diploma with distinction in 1986. 1985: Prix de Virtuosité and the special 1:st Prize (A l´unanimité et avec ses félicitations du Jury) at the Conservatoire National de Rueil-Malmaison, Paris under Marie-Claire Alain and, in improvisation, Jacques Taddei. 1:st Prize in Grand Prix de Chartres, improvisation, in 1984. Kasper prize (Dagens Nyheter) in 1987
His music and arrangements are published by Gehrmans/Warner /Chappell Music
Scandinavia AB.