Portrait by Isabel Koger

Marsel Nichan

CV/BIOGRAPHY

Marsel Nichan is a Stockholm-based composer born in Damascus, Syria, whose artistic practice is formed by a rich and nuanced multicultural perspective. Raised in a musically active family, he encountered music at an early age through his parents, who sang both in choirs and as soloists in various churches. It was within this environment that his enduring connection to music—and in particular to choral music—first took shape, a repertoire that continues to hold a special place in his artistic world. At the age of eight, he moved to Sweden with his family, grew up in Växjö, and later settled in Stockholm. His work is characterized by a contemporary musical language in which diverse influences are brought together within a coherent and distinctive artistic voice. Rather than presenting these influences as separate stylistic references, he transforms them into a unified expression marked by depth, clarity, and originality. His compositional approach draws on the expanded sonic possibilities of the present as an ongoing source of inspiration, resulting in music that is both exploratory and firmly grounded in artistic intention.

His catalogue spans works for solo instruments, chamber ensemble, orchestra, choir, film, and electroacoustic music, and he is particularly fond of interdisciplinary collaboration. Marsel Nichan approaches composition as a holistic art form in which structure, texture, expression, and dramatic trajectory are of equal significance. Nichan draws inspiration from a background in engineering, advanced mathematics, and physics—perspectives that continue to be part of his interest in form, complexity, and sonic architecture. His music composition development began at the age of 15 at Växjö School of Music and Arts and was further shaped by many years of musical studies at Växjö University (now Linnaeus University), long-term studies for Thomas Liljeholm, studies in electronic music with Anders Blomqvist, and conducting masterclasses for Mika Eichenholz.

He is Chairman and Artistic Director of the contemporary music association Media Artes, Founder and Artistic Director of the contemporary cultural association Nuova Arte.
He served also as a board member of the Swedish Arts Council from 2022 to 2026.

Residencies:

Composer in Residence - 2026 - Oslo & Paris (Swedish Arts Grants Committee).

Composer in Residence - 2024 - NFM & LutosAir Quintet in Poland (Swedish Arts Grants Committee & NFM).
Composer in Residence - 2024 - CMSS (Contemporary Music Society in Seoul) in S. Korea (Swedish Arts Grants Committee). 

Composer in Residence - 2023/2024 - NeoArte Festival in Poland (Swedish Arts Grants Committee).

Residence - 2020/2021 - Ensemble - Kwartludium in Poland (Swedish Arts Grants Committee).