2008 in Nordic music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Nordic music in 2008.

Events

• 1 January – Making her début as a concert pianist, German violinist Julia Fischer chooses Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor at the Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany.
• 14 March – Norwegian guitarist Mads Berven is awarded the Vossajazzprisen 2008 at the Vossajazz festival.
• 20 May – On finally leaving Viking metal band Stratovarius after 20 years, Norwegian lead vocalist and band founder Timo Tolkki agrees to sign over his right to use the band's name, giving other members the option to continue without him.
• 11 September – Christian Älvestam leaves the band Scar Symmetry and begins a solo career.
• 18 September – Peter Wichers returns to Swedish band Soilwork, replacing Daniel Antonsson.
• 7 October – The Spotify on-demand music streaming service is launched in Sweden, where it was founded two years earlier.
• 9 October – Singer Denny Axelsson leaves Swedish band The Blinded.
• November – Norwegian black metal vocalist Gaahl reveals that he is gay, in an interview with the magazine Rock Hard.
• unknown date – Stefan Klaverdal wins first prize at the International Competition for Electroacoustic Music in Bourges, for his score for the film SIDA 33.

Classical works

• Kalevi Aho –Minea. Concertante Music for Orchestra
• Bo Holten – The Visit of the Royal Physician (opera), published

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

Unknown date

Deaths

• 10 February – Inga Nielsen, Danish operatic soprano (born 1946; cancer)
• 15 March – Fredrik Friis, Norwegian composer, singer, and lyricist (born 1923)
• 16 March – Ola Brunkert, Swedish drummer, session drummer for ABBA (born 1946; accidental fall)
• 19 March – Eivind Solberg, Norwegian jazz trumpeter (born 1933)
• 30 March – Anders Göthberg, Swedish guitarist (born 1975)
• 3 July – Harald Heide-Steen Jr., Norwegian actor and singer (born 1939)
• 18 July – Tauno Marttinen, Finnish composer (born 1912)
• 25 August – Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (born 1944; cancer)
• 6 October – Paavo Haavikko, Finnish poet and librettist (born 1931)
• 26 November – Pekka Pohjola, Finnish multi-instrumentalist and composer (born 1952; epileptic seizure)

References