A new work by the young Swedish composer, inspired by quantum physics, and other works by him were performed on 10 December 2025 at the festive Nobel Banquet following the Nobel Prize award ceremony. Focus magazine took this musical accolade – the banquet is one of the most important social events in the Swedish calendar – as an opportunity to dedicate a detailed portrait to Jacob Mühlrad.
Focus reporter Bruno Gaigl accompanied the composer to places in Stockholm that are important to him and learned a lot about his music, which never stands still: "Everything flows. His musical boundaries are also fluid. Mühlrad cannot be pigeonholed. If one were to try to classify him musically, the result would probably be “genre fluid”." online version of the article published in Focus 2/2026.
Jacob Mühlrad was responsible for this year's divertissements, the artistic interludes during the banquet. Under the motto ‘Music Bridging Worlds’, he contributed new, interwoven versions of his earlier pieces as well as a world premiere.
Every year on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, the Nobel Banquet (Swedish: Nobelfesten) takes place in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall following the Nobel Prize award ceremony. The event is broadcast live on Swedish television (SVT) and achieves high ratings.
‘For me, music serves as a bridge between people, cultures and worlds. The concept I use is inspired by the spirit of Nobel, where research, literature and humanism come together. My newly composed work Superposition is influenced by quantum physics. I am also happy and grateful that I have been able to bring together such a talented group for this occasion,’ says Jacob Mühlrad.
The young percussionist Adélaïde Ferrière played the marimba in the newly composed work. The artist Alexander Wessely, who has been working with Jacob Mühlrad for several years, was responsible for the visual direction.
Press release Nobel Foundation
