Mikael Karlsson

Anne Sofie von Otter, Pekka Kuusisto, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - So We Will Vanish - Göteborgs Konserthus (Gothenburg, Sweden)
2026-01-28 - 2026-01-29 | Gothenburg Concert House, Götaplatsen 8, Gothenburg, 412 56, Sweden
Anne Sofie von Otter and Pekka Kuusisto perform the song cycle So We Will Vanish with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra on a program that includes Ellen Reid’s music on January 28 and again January 29.
SO WE WILL VANISH
1. Doggerland
2. Firehawks
3. Saint Helena Olive
Music: Mikael Karlsson
Text: Royce Vavrek
Orchestration: Michael P. Atkinson, Mikael Karlsson
Program notes for So We Will Vanish:
So We Will Vanish is a song cycle about natural destruction, told by three trees that have either already been obliterated or are in the process of disappearing. The title is a quotation from director Werner Herzog:
“Life on our planet has been a constant series of cataclysmic events, and we are more suitable for extinction than a trilobite or a reptile. So we will vanish. There’s no doubt in my heart.”
Herzog predicts that we, like the trees and countless species before us, are well-suited for extinction. The three trees in this cycle recount the stories of their own disappearance in order to underline how natural, almost inevitable it is to cease to exist.
In Doggerland, a tree on the seabed off the English coast remembers the great landmass that once stretched across what is now ocean. This region, called Doggerland, was once inhabited by mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and lions, until rising waters swept over the land and drowned an entire ecosystem. Today the forest lies buried beneath the sea.
Firehawks refers to a species of hawk found in Australia. To flush out prey, these birds lift burning twigs from bushfires in their beaks, fly over shrubs or trees, drop the embers, and ignite new fires. The animals and insects sheltering inside are forced out, and the hawk can dive and capture them with ease. In this song, the tree sees the hawks approaching with fire in their beaks and realizes what is about to happen.
The Saint Helena Olive was a species of olive tree that disappeared from the wild around 1994 on the island of Saint Helena, its only natural habitat, leaving a single cutting alive in cultivation. In 2003, even that last tree died after a fungal infection. Despite numerous attempts to save her, extinction could not be prevented. The song ends with a mantra on her name.
The songs are dedicated to Anne Sofie von Otter and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

Anne Sofie von Otter, Pekka Kuusisto, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra - So We Will Vanish - Musiikkitalo Concert Hall (Hensinki, Finland)
2026-02-04 - 2026-02-05 | Musiikkitalo Concert Hall, Mannerheimintie 13 A, Helsinki, 00100, Finland
Anne Sofie von Otter and Pekka Kuusisto perform the song cycle So We Will Vanish with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra on a program that includes Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Catamorphosis on January 28 and again January 29.
SO WE WILL VANISH
1. Doggerland
2. Firehawks
3. Saint Helena Olive
Music: Mikael Karlsson
Text: Royce Vavrek
Orchestration: Michael P. Atkinson, Mikael Karlsson
Program notes for So We Will Vanish:
So We Will Vanish is a song cycle about natural destruction, told by three trees that have either already been obliterated or are in the process of disappearing. The title is a quotation from director Werner Herzog:
“Life on our planet has been a constant series of cataclysmic events, and we are more suitable for extinction than a trilobite or a reptile. So we will vanish. There’s no doubt in my heart.”
Herzog predicts that we, like the trees and countless species before us, are well-suited for extinction. The three trees in this cycle recount the stories of their own disappearance in order to underline how natural, almost inevitable it is to cease to exist.
In Doggerland, a tree on the seabed off the English coast remembers the great landmass that once stretched across what is now ocean. This region, called Doggerland, was once inhabited by mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and lions, until rising waters swept over the land and drowned an entire ecosystem. Today the forest lies buried beneath the sea.
Firehawks refers to a species of hawk found in Australia. To flush out prey, these birds lift burning twigs from bushfires in their beaks, fly over shrubs or trees, drop the embers, and ignite new fires. The animals and insects sheltering inside are forced out, and the hawk can dive and capture them with ease. In this song, the tree sees the hawks approaching with fire in their beaks and realizes what is about to happen.
The Saint Helena Olive was a species of olive tree that disappeared from the wild around 1994 on the island of Saint Helena, its only natural habitat, leaving a single cutting alive in cultivation. In 2003, even that last tree died after a fungal infection. Despite numerous attempts to save her, extinction could not be prevented. The song ends with a mantra on her name.
The songs are dedicated to Anne Sofie von Otter and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

Sophie Laplane, James Bonas - Mary, Queen of Scots - Scottish Ballet - Sadler's Wells (London, UK)
2026-03-05 - 2026-03-08 | Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN, United Kingdom
Mary, Queen of Scots comes to Sadler’s Wells March 5-8 2026.
More info about Mary, Queen of Scots on the dedicated page on this website.
CHOREOGRAPHY, STORY: Sophie Laplane
DIRECTION, STORY: James Bonas
MUSIC: Michael P. Atkinson, Mikael Karlsson
LIGHTING DESIGN: Bonnie Beecher
SET, COSTUME DESIGN: Soutra Gilmour
PROJECTION, VIDEO DESIGN: Anouar Brissel

Morgann Runacre-Temple, Jessica Wright - "Arena" - Paris Opera Garnier (Paris, France)
2026-03-11 - 2026-03-28 | Paris Opera – Palais Garnier, Pl. de l'Opéra, Paris, Paris, 75009, France
What can video contribute to choreography? Can the camera itself become choreographic, making dance more visceral? These are some of the questions underlying Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple’s artistic research.
In Empreintes, the two British choreographers make their Paris Opera debut with a creation exploring the links between video and dance, set to an original score by Mikael Karlsson, composer of Play.
With the Paris Opera Étoiles, Premières Danseuses, Premiers Danseurs and Corps de Ballet
Recorded music. 17 performances.
Also on the program:
Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau is also sensitive to the arts’ interdisciplinary dimension, often using a language that combines movement and image.
His new work, Étude, explores the relationship between darkness and light, the light that allows us to imagine and create, despite doubts and shadows.

Anne Sofie von Otter, Ariane Matiakh, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra - So We Will Vanish - De Geerhallen (Norrköping, Sweden)
2026-04-11 | De Geerhallen, Norrköping
Anne Sofie von Otter and Ariane Matiakh perform the song cycle So We Will Vanish with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra on April 11 2026.
SO WE WILL VANISH
1. Doggerland
2. Firehawks
3. Saint Helena Olive
Music: Mikael Karlsson
Text: Royce Vavrek
Orchestration: Michael P. Atkinson, Mikael Karlsson
Program notes for So We Will Vanish:
So We Will Vanish is a song cycle about natural destruction, told by three trees that have either already been obliterated or are in the process of disappearing. The title is a quotation from director Werner Herzog:
“Life on our planet has been a constant series of cataclysmic events, and we are more suitable for extinction than a trilobite or a reptile. So we will vanish. There’s no doubt in my heart.”
Herzog predicts that we, like the trees and countless species before us, are well-suited for extinction. The three trees in this cycle recount the stories of their own disappearance in order to underline how natural, almost inevitable it is to cease to exist.
In Doggerland, a tree on the seabed off the English coast remembers the great landmass that once stretched across what is now ocean. This region, called Doggerland, was once inhabited by mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and lions, until rising waters swept over the land and drowned an entire ecosystem. Today the forest lies buried beneath the sea.
Firehawks refers to a species of hawk found in Australia. To flush out prey, these birds lift burning twigs from bushfires in their beaks, fly over shrubs or trees, drop the embers, and ignite new fires. The animals and insects sheltering inside are forced out, and the hawk can dive and capture them with ease. In this song, the tree sees the hawks approaching with fire in their beaks and realizes what is about to happen.
The Saint Helena Olive was a species of olive tree that disappeared from the wild around 1994 on the island of Saint Helena, its only natural habitat, leaving a single cutting alive in cultivation. In 2003, even that last tree died after a fungal infection. Despite numerous attempts to save her, extinction could not be prevented. The song ends with a mantra on her name.
The songs are dedicated to Anne Sofie von Otter and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.
“Mikael Karlsson skrev sina tre orkestersånger på uppmaning av Anne Sofie von Otter. Hon är en av våra internationellt mest framgångsrika mezzosopraner, har hela världen som arbetsfält, och har en repertoar som sträcker sig från tidig barock till modernism, jazz och visor. Mikael Karlsson är också en framgångsrik tonsättare. År 2022 spelades hans opera Melancholia för fulla hus i Stockholm, och nu senast operan Fanny och Alexander med nio fullsatta föreställningar i operahuset La Monnaie i Bryssel. Texten till So We Will Vanish handlar om hur vår natur förstörs och hur växter och djurarter för evigt försvinner – precis som det en dag kan hända även med mänskligt liv.” From the orchestra’s website.

Alexander Ekman's "Midsummer Night's Dream" - Joffrey Ballet - Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley, CA)
2026-04-17 - 2026-04-19 | Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hal, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
Joffrey Ballet brings Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” to Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA (USA). More info about Midsummer Night’s Dream on my dedicated webpage for the piece.
“Straying far from Shakespeare’s familiar path, the peerless Joffrey Ballet returns to Berkeley with Alexander Ekman’s daring and exuberant Midsummer Night’s Dream, a mind-bending trip to a surreal realm of unearthly delights. This “odd, wonderful, provocative and utterly original work” (Chicago Sun Times) begins during the traditional Scandinavian summer solstice festival—the dancers celebrating a day of revelry and romance under the maypole—but soon blossoms into a sensual, otherworldly fantasy. Featuring Swedish indie rock sensation Anna von Hausswolff and performed to a score by composer Mikael Karlsson, Midsummer is a bold fusion of classical and contemporary ballet that artfully blurs the line between the real and the imagined, and makes us wonder, is it all a dream?”
Vocalist: Anna von Hausswolff

Sophie Laplane, James Bonas - Mary, Queen of Scots - Scottish Ballet - Spoleto Festival (Charleston, USA)
2026-05-22 - 2026-06-07 | Spoleto Festival (Charleston SC), 14 George St, Charleston, SC, 29401, United States
Mary, Queen of Scots comes to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Performance dates during the festival will be announced in January 2026.
More info about Mary, Queen of Scots on the dedicated page on this website.
CHOREOGRAPHY, STORY: Sophie Laplane
DIRECTION, STORY: James Bonas
MUSIC: Michael P. Atkinson, Mikael Karlsson
LIGHTING DESIGN: Bonnie Beecher
SET, COSTUME DESIGN: Soutra Gilmour
PROJECTION, VIDEO DESIGN: Anouar Brissel

Sophie Laplane, James Bonas - Mary, Queen of Scots - Scottish Ballet - Lincoln Center (New York City, USA)
2026-06-04 - 2026-06-06 | Lincoln Center, David H Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
Mary, Queen of Scots comes to Lincoln Center, David H Koch Theater June 4-6 2026.
More info about Mary, Queen of Scots on the dedicated page on this website.
CHOREOGRAPHY, STORY: Sophie Laplane
DIRECTION, STORY: James Bonas
MUSIC: Michael P. Atkinson, Mikael Karlsson
LIGHTING DESIGN: Bonnie Beecher
SET, COSTUME DESIGN: Soutra Gilmour
PROJECTION, VIDEO DESIGN: Anouar Brissel

Alexander Ekman's "Midsummer Night's Dream" - Dortmund Ballet - LG Arts Center (Seoul, South Korea)
2026-06-12 - 2026-06-14 | LG Arts Center, 136 Magokjungang-ro, Seoul, Gangseo-gu, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Dortmund Ballet brings Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the LG Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea.
More info about Midsummer Night’s Dream on my dedicated webpage for the piece.
