Erika Förare (b. 1955, Uppsala) is a Swedish composer raised in Piteå. She studied violin at Framnäs Folk High School and later composition with Sune Smedeby. From 1975 to 1979, she studied composition at the Stockholm Academy of Music under Gunnar Bucht, followed by musicology studies at Stockholm University. She now works as a freelance composer.
Förare's music is marked by precision, extended compositional processes, and a balance between intuitive inspiration and deliberate craft. Her style is characterized by sharp gestures, intricate counterpoint, and rhythmically dense textures, often in chamber music form. Her work explores the intersection of dreamlike moods, emotional introspection, and at times, playful or burlesque elements through stylistic contrasts and parody.
Deeply influenced by a wide range of musical traditions—from European and non-European classical music to folk, jazz, and pop—Förare also draws inspiration from literature and poetry. She has a particular affinity for the works of Swedish poets such as Harry Martinson and Nils Ferlin, and her interest in contemporary poetry continues to grow. Since the 1990s, her focus has expanded to include larger and more extended musical forms.
Hans-Gunnar Peterson