Karin Hellqvist has been studying at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm with prof. Anna Lindal and at the Universität der Künste in Berlin in the class of prof. Axel Gerhardt. After completing her bachelor studies in 2008 she is now continuing to the Norweigan Academy of Music in Oslo for her Masters degree studies with prof. Peter Herresthal and prof. Terje Moe Hansen. Thanks to a Norwegian scholarship she will also be able to take part in projects with new music ensemble Oslo Sinfonietta. 

During her studies Karin focused mainly on new music performance. As an active member of Curious Chamber Players she is frequently giving concerts, touring and commissioning works by the young generation of Scandinavian composers. She has also worked with the Swedish electric guitar ensemble KROCK in premiering Swedish composer Fabian Svensson’s violin concerto.

With her trio Trivium, consisting of violin, flute and guitar, she has comissioned works by several young Swedish composers, CCP conductor and composer Rei Munakata joins the group in their latest collaboration. In 2007 the ensemle was selected to participate in the Swedish Chamber Music Society’s biennial lancing programme “Ung och Lovande”. In 2006 Karin took part in the Ensemble Recherche ensemble academy in Freiburg. She was also the Swedish representative in the European Erasmus Chamber Orchestra.  

Karin has performed at festivals such as Stockholm New Music, Nordic Music Days in Norrköping, Siren Festival, Göteborg, Ung Nordisk Musik, Oslo and Arena Riga. During 2008, as a part of her collaboration with Norweigan composer Oyvind Torvund she is performing his music in ULTIMA Festival in Oslo and Spor Festival in Århus. She is also guesting the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Swedish composer Dror Fieler’s piece for solo violin, Sparagmos, with concerts in Sweden and on Iceland.   

Karin has been awarded with several scholarships, many recognizing her talent as a Swedish folk musician. She has been touring in Europe and the USA both as a fiddler soloist and with different folk music groups with her group SpelStina she released their debut album “Efter SpelStina” in 2007.