About me

Composer and artistic profile

Sabrina Ljungberg’s work is rooted in contemporary Finnish and Nordic choral music, drawing inspiration from poetry, language and embodied vocal expression. Her music is often described as immersive and expressive, shaped by a strong sense of text, vocal presence and emotional immediacy.

A recurring element in Ljungberg’s compositional work is her relationship with Finnish poetry. She has written extensively to traditional texts from Kanteletar—a collection of Finnish folk poetry closely related to the Kalevala—as well as to poems by Eino Leino. Ljungberg approaches these sources not as historical material, but as living language that can resonate with present-day performers and audiences. Her artistic interest lies in creating music that feels grounded and immediate, while leaving space for personal interpretation and collective experience.

Vocal ensembles and artistic work

In 2015, Ljungberg founded the vocal collective Sabrina ja Saarten tyttäret, originally to perform music she had composed for the ensemble. Over time, the group has developed into a platform for larger artistic projects, including concert-length works created through collective compositional processes. These projects often explore shared themes and narratives, allowing new music to emerge in close collaboration between composer and performers.

In 2022, she founded LEINA, a seven-voice vocal group focusing on new compositions that merge sung poetry with electronic soundscapes. LEINA’s music is song-based and strongly text-oriented, unfolding through an immersive and almost cinematic sense of atmosphere and form, while remaining grounded in clear musical structures and vocal expression.

Both ensembles function as long-term artistic laboratories, enabling Ljungberg to develop new compositional ideas in close dialogue with performers and to explore collaborative approaches to creating contemporary vocal music.

Performances, recordings and commissions

Ljungberg’s music has been performed by ensembles such as EMO Ensemble, The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki and Vaskivuori Upper Secondary School Chamber Choir, among others. Her works have been recorded by choirs including Teekkarikuoro, Vaskivuori Upper Secondary School Girls’ Choir and Sabrina ja Saarten tyttäret.

She has written commissioned contemporary choral works for several Finnish choirs, including The Polytech Choir, Aalto University’s Mixed Choir Dominante, Women’s Choir Kupliva, Järvenpää Women’s Choir Ainottaret and Lahti Women’s Choir Filianna. These commissions range from individual choral works to pieces created for specific ensembles, contexts and artistic needs, often shaped through close dialogue with the performers.

Alongside her compositional work, Ljungberg has served as the artistic director of Filianna since 2015, combining long-term artistic leadership with repertoire development and the commissioning of new music.