Fredrik Sixten (b. 1962) is a trained organist and conductor. He has studied composition with Sven-David Sandström. He has been organist and choir director in Vänersborg (1991–2000), artistic director and conductor of Gothenburg's boys' choir (1997–2001), cathedral organist in Härnösand cathedral (2001–2013) and cantor in Nidaros Cathedral
in Trondheim (2013–2014). During this period, however, the number of requests for commissioned works increased, and in 2014 he decided to devote himself entirely to composing.
Fredrik Sixten's compositions are based on a varied and broad knowledge of music history, where Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach and 20th-century French composers are important sources of inspiration. A closeness to various expressions within jazz as well as to Swedish folk music are also recognizable as important parts of Sixten's tonal language.
The focus of Sixten's compositional work is liturgical music for organ and choir in various combinations. In addition, he writes instrumental music for different contexts. Usually he works within the framework of established forms. His list of works includes extensive compositions such as opera, oratorios and passions as well as chamber music works such as sonatas, toccatos and preludes and not least a large number of contributions to choral literature. At the same time, he approaches the traditional forms with a desire to develop them.
Ideas about contextual anchoring, gender perspective or a harmonious unconventional tone of voice, can be what gives modern perspectives in relation to the established. An example of this isA Swedish St. Mark's Passion(2003) which is partly the first "passion" composed in Swedish dialect and where a female singer sings the evangelist parts.
With a starting point in parish work and its focus on utility music for the service, Sixten has placed great emphasis on composing liturgical music that can not only be used in connection with concerts. He has an extensive production that is adapted for general use and, in addition to numerous works for choir of affordable difficulty, has been involved in the work of renewing the Swedish hymnal.
A similar line of thought can be found in Sixten's attitude to the listener. If parts of his compositions are written so that church choirs in the congregations can perform them, the music composed for the concert is written with the desire that it will be appreciated by music connoisseurs as well as broad masses of listeners.
Even in instrumental music, Sixten focuses on the melodic and tonally sound as a fundamental component, preferably in combination with challenging harmonization and surprising turns in the music. In this way, he wants to place himself outside of discussions about the relationship between modernism and tradition and prefers to see both as parts of the same art-musical framework.
