Eklund was born in
Gothenburg in 1969 into a musical family; his father, Bengt, was a noted trumpeter and conductor. Eklund studied with his father, as well as at the School of Music and Musicology of the
University of Gothenburg. Further studies took place under the tutelage of
Edward H. Tarr at the
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. After five years as solo trumpeter with the
Basel Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eklund left the orchestra in the autumn of 1996 to pursue a solo career, during which he collaborated with many leading musicians and conductors, including
Cecilia Bartoli,
Zubin Mehta,
John Eliot Gardiner,
Heinz Holliger,
András Schiff, John Foster,
Iván Fischer and
Gustav Leonhardt. In 1996, Eklund won first prize at the first
Altenburg International Baroque Trumpet competition, held in
Bad Säckingen, Germany. As a specialist on the notoriously difficult
baroque trumpet, he demonstrated exceptional interpretive skill coupled with a high degree of control and precision. Christopher Martin, Principal Trumpet of the
New York Philharmonic, says: "Niklas Eklund's Art of the Baroque Trumpet series [on
Naxos], is the most lyrically gorgeous trumpet playing you'll ever hear." Eklund played an extensive part in the "Bach Pilgrimage" series of performances and recordings directed by Sir John Eliot Gardiner (available on
Deutsche Grammophon Archiv CDs), beginning in the year 2000. Besides giving concerts in Sweden and Europe, Eklund appeared as a guest performer and teacher in the USA, Australia, the Ukraine, Russia and New Zealand (condensed from the artist's website). Eklund died on 10 April 2025, at the age of 56. == References ==