Mikael Karlsson is a composer who specializes in dramatic music (modern dance, contemporary ballet, opera, and theater) but also writes for orchestras, chamber ensembles, choirs, and art installations. His many collaborators include choreographer Alexander Ekman, librettist Royce Vavrek, The International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir, as well as singers Anne Sofie von Otter, Lauren Snouffer, Rihab Chaieb, Callie Day, Anna von Hausswolff, Lykke Li, and Lydia Lunch. His operas are Melancholia, Fanny and Alexander, and The Echo Drift.