Instrumentation: sop or ten, mez or bar, ch
Kerstin Jeppsson (b. 1948, Nyköping) is a Swedish composer known for both her vocal and instrumental works. She studied at the Stockholm Academy of Music (1968–1973), where she trained as a music teacher and studied composition with Maurice Karkoff. Further studies followed at the Kraków Conservatory with Krzysztof Meyer and Krzysztof Penderecki, as well as conducting and violin. She also holds a BA in musicology, pedagogy, and social anthropology from Stockholm University.
Supported by several scholarships, Jeppsson pursued advanced studies at the California Institute of the Arts (MFA, 1979), where her teachers included Mel Powell (composition), Daniel Schulman (conducting), and Marwin Hayes (voice). She became a member of the Swedish Composers’ Association in 1977.
A strong literary influence runs through her vocal music, with settings of texts by Edith Södergran, Karin Boye, Pär Lagerkvist, and others. Equally prominent is her instrumental output, including powerful orchestral works and chamber music marked by expressive contrasts and mythological allusions—such as a dramatic percussion piece inspired by Prometheus. Her piano works range from lyrical miniatures to rhythmically vibrant compositions featured in the Swedish Pianorama anthology (1985). In the 1990s, she also composed several choral works, including Officium (2000), premiered in Rome, based on texts by Saint Birgitta.