August Björn (b. 1994) is an award-winning pianist and composer based in Gothenburg, Sweden. He has emerged as one of the most compelling new voices in Nordic jazz, gaining an international audience through his unique touch and emotionally charged performances.
In his music, August seamlessly weaves improvisation and composition into a unified cinematic landscape that pushes against established jazz structures. Drawing from both jazzz and classical traditions – and through collaborations that stretch across genres – August continues to challenge our perception of how contemporary jazz can sound.
August began classical piano studies at the age of eight and has later studied with several leading Scandinavian pianists. At thirteen, he received the Maj von Rosen Scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music, marking the start of a series of significant Swedish awards and scholarships. By seventeen, he had already been compared to pianists such as Esbjörn Svensson, received STIM's Scholarship for Composers, and won first prize in Sweden's largest jazz competition, Young Jazz Comets. Today, August holds a master's degree in Improvisation and World Music from the Academy of Music & Drama in Gothenburg.
As a composer, August has written works for some of Sweden's most distinguished soloists, including a solo piece for legendary guitarist Göran Söllscher and a euphonium concerto for Johannes Forsberg. These classical collaborations continue to shape the harmonic and structural language that underpins his jazz writing. Most recently, his partnership with vocalist Sara Aldén resulted in a Swedish GRAMMY for their album There Is No Future.
On April 17, August releases his debut album Chiasmus, recorded with a newly formed quartet. The first single, Anabasis: Part I, will be released on February 27.