Nicolai Kornerup

With a fresh nomination for Composer of the Year at the 2026 Carl Prize and heavy rotation on National Danish Radio (P8 Jazz), danish pianist Nicolai Kornerup has emerged as a definitive voice in Nordic jazz, with infused with his background of classical and folk music.

Whether at a concert with his jazz trio or his ensemble with strings and woodwinds, the music moves you with it’s beautiful stories and sincere presence.

As a pianist and composer, Nicolai Kornerup creates a musical journey that reaches from the nordic melancholic impressionism to the vibrant and passionate Eastern European musical tradition. The music invites both the joy of dance and the catharsis of sorrow. His music connects all the way from the classical way of composing for string and wind instruments, through jazz improvisation to folk music and back - and yes he also plays the accordion.

On his new and third album, “Tidsskjul” he is alongside bassist Jakob Roland and drummer Henrik Holst Hansen. Together, in the classic piano trio format they craft a mesmerizing blend of scandinavian lyricism and warm, woody resonance.

He received the Carl Prize for Best Composition, and his album Circles was praised by danish newspaper Information: "Circles is the latest in a series of musical triumphs from Nicolai Kornerup, an album that will bring warmth and sensitivity to listeners. Kornerup is melodically ambitious and multifaceted. His acoustic sound is simple and inviting, with a deliberate grounding in Nordic folk music and jazz."

With his orchestra Mames Babegenush, he has performed worldwide, including at Carnegie Hall, the Bergen International Festival, and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. The group was nominated for Album of the Year at the Danish Music Awards.

As a composer, he has written for the Dresden Staatskapelle, the DR Big Band, and the Copenhagen Philharmonic, collaborating with artists such as Kwamie Liv, Soleima, Benjamin Koppel, LiveStrings, Perfume Genius, Rasmus Walter, Thomas Dybdahl, The Danish Radio Big Band, AyOwA, Gitta Maria Sjøberg, Andrea Pellegrini, Danish String Quartet, MAGT and Sofie Lund. He also composed the music for Thomas Vinterberg’s series Families Like Ours.

Contact:

Anna Kjærulf
+45 20713404
anna@woodenbox.dk

Learn more about the music at nicolaikornerup.com