The peärls before swïne experience was founded in 1995 and has grown into one of Scandinavia’s most successful and original ensembles for new music. They have specialized in commissioning their own repertoire of short (5 minute) pieces, and have to date received more than 80 works from 18 countries. Composers who have written directly for the ensemble include Anders Hillborg, Mikael Edlund, Lars Ekström (Sweden), David Lang (USA), Tristan Murail (France), Atli Heimir Sveinsson (Iceland), and Michel van der Aa (Holland).

The members of the ensemble met at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm, but have also studied at music conservatories in among other places Boston, New York, London, Copenhagen, and Cologne. All are freelance chamber musicians in Sweden.

The peärls before swïne experience’s relaxed and direct style in concert, which includes quite a bit audience contact, has made them attractive to festivals around the world, and they have performed at all of the important new music festivals in Scandinavia as well as at the ISCM World Music Days and in Japan,

They have also specialized in bringing new music to younger audiences, playing occasionally at rock festivals in Sweden; they have also founded and regularly perform at a club for new music, film, electronica, and performance art in their home town of Stockholm called SEKT, which for the past five years has become a popular meeting place for young people between the ages of 18-35.

The peärls before swïne experience have released 2 CDs on the Caprice label; their self- titled first CD was given a five-star rating by the German CD magazine Fonoforum, and their second, ”swïne live!”, was hailed by the national morning paper Svenska Dagbladet as having ”revitalized the Swedish new music scene.” Or, as the evening paper Expressen put it: ”the peärls before swïne experience is one of the best things to happen to the new music.” In 2004, the group won the Crystal Prize (Kristallpriset), awarded jointly by Edition Reimers and the Swedish Society of Conductors for special contributions to new music, and in 2005, the group was awarded the Society of Swedish Composer’s Interpreter’s Prize.

"Modern 'serious' music of this sort is often seen as difficult, ugly, impossible to understand… a perverse pleasure for a very small audience. PBSE must be demoralizing for those who would like to hold on to these biases. There isn't the slightest bit of either pretentious mystification or patronizing edification. They don't even try to break down any barriers: they fall down by themselves… It isn't every day one hears the avantgarde repertoire treated with such respectful disrespect. So much the better when it happens."
Nerikes Allehanda (S)

"A pleasant, relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere which bore witness to a technical and musical overflow: with a blend of rock music's 'drive' and the coy humor of a fiddler, they delivered vibrant interpretations with great precision…No matter what PBSE play- go listen to them!"
Jyllandsposten (DK)

"Extremely funny… showed that serious music is still very much alive" GP (S)

“The peärls before swïne experience is one of the best things ever to happen to new music” Camilla Lundberg, Expressen (S)

“Einfach qualitativ gute Musik! Und phantastisch musiziert dazu!” Fonoforum (D)

“These are musicians at the highest artistic level and their pieces brilliantly mirror the kaleidescopic musical world of our times.” Stig Jacobsson (S)

”Any discussion of the limits of art in modern music has to start with the peärls before swïne experience.” Ptah (SF)