Stefan Nilsson (July 27, 1955 – May 25, 2023) was a Swedish composer and pianist who wrote music for feature films and television shows, including Bille August's Pelle the Conqueror and The Best Intentions, as well as Kay Pollak's As It Is in Heaven.
Born in Kukasjärvi, Hietaniemi, in the north of Sweden, Nilsson studied music at Framnäs folkhögskola outside of Piteå.,[1] where he developed an interest in jazz.
[4] As a film composer, Nilsson wrote numerous scores for Swedish filmmakers such as Gösta Ekman, Hans Alfredson and Peter Dalle.
To international audiences, he is best known for his music for the films of Bille August, for whom he scored Pelle the Conqueror (1987), The Best Intentions (1991), Jerusalem (1996) and A Song for Martin (2001).
Stylistically, the film scores Nilsson was best known for, such as his works for Bille August, were restrained, romantic and sparsely orchestrated, mostly focusing on melodic content for piano and woodwinds, accompanied by strings.