Rosanna Gunnarsson (b. 1992) is a composer from the Stockholm archipelago, working with both acoustic and electronic music, often blending the two. She completed her studies in Western art music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm in 2016. Her works have been performed by ensembles such as the Malva Quartet, Linn Persson/Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, the Army Band, and My Eklund, and her sound installations have been featured at venues including the Stockholm Concert Hall and Arlanda Airport.
Gunnarsson draws frequent inspiration from visual and physical experiences—translating moments such as a surfer’s encounter with Baltic waves or a freediver’s descent off the coast of Lysekil into sonic narratives. While chamber music remains central to her practice, she has increasingly explored orchestral writing, drawn to the dynamic range and expressive potential of large ensembles.
Her orchestral piece Imagining a Grand Canyon was inspired by David Hockney’s A Bigger Grand Canyon, which she encountered at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. The work mirrors Hockney’s multi-canvas construction—juxtaposing fine detail with expansive gestures to evoke the emotional vastness of a grand landscape.