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Hailed for his “breathtaking virtuosity and an intelligent sense of precisely what brings music to life” (Albuquerque Journal) and his “rhythmic integrity, singing tone quality, and refinement” (Clavier), Swedish-American pianist Elias-Axel Pettersson has established himself as a formidable soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. A Mason & Hamlin Concert Artist, he has garnered prizes on the national and international level, and has been heard on national radio.

Pettersson has collaborated with various artists, including violinists Krzysztof Zimowski, David Felberg, and Guillaume Tardif, violist Henk Guittart, Cantor Josh Perlman, and tenor Michiel Schrey. In 2008, Pettersson formed Duo Giocoso with French violinist Roland Arnassalon. In 2017, Pettersson and pianist Jessica Yam formed piano duo Æterna Sirius. Pettersson also champions contemporary composers such as Alan Belkin, Baptiste Cathelin, Alvin Curran, Drea Pressley Tischhauser, and Altin Volaj. Pettersson premiered Petroglyph for Piano (2011) by New Mexican composer Michael Mauldin, and performed in a recording of Gabriel Madden’s La Herse (2009), which featured a rare Sauter 1/16-microtonal piano.

A frequent masterclass teacher and lecturer throughout the USA and Canada, Pettersson was a jury member for the Canadian Music Competition (2013), Prix Opus (2016, 2017), Jackie McGehee Young Artist Competition (2018), and the James R. Anthony Arizona State Honors Competition (2018), among others. Pettersson studied with Paul Stewart, Sergei Babayan, Larissa Dedova, Douglas Humpherys, and Maribeth Gunning; he also played for André Watts, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Arnaldo Cohen, Pavel Nersessian, Dina Joffe, and the Guarneri String Quartet. Pettersson has three albums on the Axel Records label. He is Artistic Director of Southwest Piano Festival, a program he founded in 2015, and Director of Program Development for Arizona Piano Institute. He holds a doctorate from the Université de Montréal.

www.eapettersson.com