Nyberg, Anders
Anders Nyberg (b. 1955, Malung, Sweden) studied choral conducting at the Royal Music Academy of Stockholm with Eric Ericson and composition with Bengt Hallberg. His most important musical influences come from the local folk musicians in his home village of Malung and in South Africa. As the leader of the song-group Fjedur, his perspective grew from the local to the global.
In 1978 Fjedur travelled to South Africa on an invitation from local churches. Soon after, Nyberg returned to work a year in the township of Gugulethu, Cape Town, in choral music.
Nyberg’s releases of South-African songs of praise and protest have since not only become an integral part of Swedish choral life but have spread globally and been translated to a number of languages.
Nyberg’s attention later shifted to the music of Latin America through several tours to Cuba and Central America by himself and with his group Gondwana. His Swedish folkmass Himmelen Inom ("Heaven within"), inspired from Latin America but with words and music by Nyberg, has won a place among the Swedish choral standards.
Nyberg has held seminars, concerts, and workshops in over twenty countries on five continents and has published more than 100 choral compositions and arrangements through his own publishing company, Utryck. Nyberg was nominated the "Swedish Choirleader of the Year" in 1986.
Nyberg is married to Jennifer Ferguson, a South African singer-songwriter, actress, and ex-MP. They have three children and share their time between their homes in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Dala-Floda, Sweden.
In 2000, Anders became the first director of a new and unique musical education in Rättvik, Sweden. It is a “world-music education” – folkmusic with an international profile – the first and only of its kind in Sweden. It welcomes students 16-20 years of age from all over Sweden as well as catering for international guest students.