Mattias Petersson
Mattias Petersson is a Senior Lecturer in Electroacoustic Composition at KMH and conducts artistic research in music and technology, with a focus on live electronics and composition.
About the researcher
Mattias Petersson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory. He teaches primarily in electroacoustic composition, modular synthesis, live electronics ensemble and music programming.
Since 2026, he has co-led the thematic working group Sonic Practices with Ida Lundén (Konstfack) and Ludvig Elblaus (KMH/KTH) within the NAVET research hub. He is also a member of the GEMM (Gesture, Embodiment and Machines in Music) research cluster at Luleå University of Technology.
As a composer and musician, Mattias works primarily with electronic music and has also composed chamber music, opera and music for dance. Programming and the development of custom electronic instruments are central to his artistic practice.
He is a member of the duo There are no more four seasons with violinist George Kentros and performs live electronics with the ensemble GAHLMM. His artistic work has encompassed international tours, recordings, numerous collaborations and research projects.
Research description
Mattias Petersson’s artistic research is grounded in his practice as a composer and musician and focuses on the modular and metastable nature of live electronic instruments. His practice includes experiments with traditional patching interfaces and live coding, both as conceptual and practical tools, and seeks to develop new knowledge of when, how and why instruments change in relation to the artistic voice.
Through this focus, he investigates transformative processes in both composition and performance. Central to his research is an exploration of how the design of instruments is shaped by artistic choices and how these instruments evolve through their interaction with composition, performance and context.
Education
Mattias Petersson studied at KMH with Professors Bill Brunson and Per Lindgren between 1999 and 2006, graduating with a diploma in electroacoustic composition. In 2025, he completed his doctoral degree at the School of Music in Piteå, Luleå University of Technology, with the thesis "The Act of Patching: Musicking with Modular Systems". Prior to this, he qualified as a teacher of classical piano and music theory at Ingesund College of Music in 1997.