Jenny Hettne is a Swedish composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music, with the exploration of sound and timbre as her most important focus. She writes mainly chamber music, sometimes mixed with electronics and always in a close and innovative collaboration with the musicians. She lives in Stockholm.

Jenny was born 1977 in Göteborg. She finished her master degree in music composition at the Academy of Music and Drama, Göteborg University, in 2008. Studies also include Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin (2007), Gotland School of Music Composition (2000-02) and musiciology at University of Göteborg (1998-99). She studied composition for Henrik Strindberg, Ole Lützow-Holm, Jörg Mainka and Bent Sörensen among others.

Jennys music has been performed by, among others, KammarensembleN, Gothenburg Combo, UmeDuo, Faint Noise, Ensemble Mimitabu, Gageego!, Norrbotten Neo, Duo Ego, The Peärls Before Swïne Experience, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Ensemble MA!, Kennet Bohman, Jörgen Pettersson, Jonny Axelsson, Sören Hermansson, Mårten Falk, Robert Ek and Karin Hellqvist (Sweden), Caput, Duo Harpverk, Tui Hirv (Iceland), Sámal Petersen (Farao Islands), PermaTrio, Cikada Duo (Norway), Sori Choi, Busan Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (South Korea), RIOT Ensemble (UK), The Griffyn Ensemble (Australia), Quasar Saxophone Quartet (Canada), Pauline Kim Harris (USA), Ashley Walters & Lynn Vartan (USA), Jeffrey Snedeker (USA), Juan Carlos Higuita (Colombia), Alicja Pilarczyk (Poland) and Chamber Ensemble New Music in Ukraine. Per Tengstrand and Jönköpings Sinfonietta premiered Krusning Skiktning for piano and orchestra in 2013 and Malmö Symphony Orchestra premiered Whirli(gigue) 2017.

Wavering wood, whirling metal was premiered 2009 by icelandic Duo Harpverk (Frank Aarnink & Katie Buckley) and was released on the record “The greenhouse sessions” in 2012. In Reykjavik 2017 Duo Harpverk presented a portrait concert including Wavering wood, whirling metal, the premiere of Ting and Twine and three other solos/duos.

Bells and Tides for cello and percussion was commissioned by UmeDuo 2016 and has been performed in St Petersburg, Zürich, Basel, Baden, Geneva, Stockholm and Göteborg. It was released on the album Scrapes and Soundscapes in 2020 (NEOS). Bells and Tides was also performed in Cedar City, Utah in 2017 by Ashley Walters & Lynn Vartan. The piece was selected to ISCM World Music Days in Tallinn 2019 and performed by Teemu Mastovaara & Felix Stachelhaus.

While she was dreaming for violin and electronics is the first of many works resulting from Jennys close collaboration with violinist Karin Hellqvist. Since the premiere 2012 in Ålborg, Denmark, it has been performed by Karin Hellqvist numerous times, all over Europe. While she was dreaming has also been performed by several other violinists, including Pauline Kim Harris at MATA festival, New York, Sámal Petersen at Nordic Music Days Farao Islands and Alicja Pilarczyk at Transit Festival, Belgium and Unerhörte Musik im BKA, Berlin.

Tinkles, clinks and heavenly metal was premiered at Klang festival, Copenhagen, in May 2013 by the trio Faint Noise: Karin Hellqvist, violin, Anna Petrini, Paetzold contrabass recorder and Malin Bång, soundobjects/ electronics. The piece was also selected to Nordic Music Days in Copenhagen 2015.

A swarm came in from the dark for violin and ensemble was premiered by Karin Hellqvist and Gageego! in March 2015 and also performed by Karin Hellqvist and Ensemble Mimitabu in 2017 and Karin Hellqvist and New European Ensemble in 2019. In 2022 the piece was performed by KammarensembleN with Jeffrey Lee as soloist, and Caput Ensemble with Laura Liu as soloist. In 2018 the piece was awarded the Järnåker prize from Saltö Stiftelse, the biggest chamber music prize in Sweden.

Trio for traditional Korean percussion, piano and violin was premiered at Kalvfestivalen 2018 by Trio Hellqvist/Choi/Amaral and also performed in Seoul, South Korea in 2019. In december 2018 the piece was awarded “Special Jury Award” of the 3rd Younghi Pagh-Paan Composition Prize and performed in the chamber music hall of Berliner Philharmonie by Busan Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra.

Jenny is currently working on a piece for Stockholm Chamber Brass to be premiered in the fall of 2024.