Karin Brodin is a freelance horn player and teacher, based in Malmö, Sweden. Karin obtained her bachelor's degree in music in 2014 and completed her master’s in 2016, both at Musikhögskolan i Malmö (Malmö Academy of Music).

In 2011 Karin won a full-time position with the Marinens Musikkår (Royal Swedish NavyBand) in Karlskrona. In 2015, she left her position in the military band and resumed studies to complete her degree, doing her final recital whilst pregnant with her second child.

In her life as a musician, Karin has pursued a diverse professional portfolio that includes both teaching and performing. She currently works part time as a music teacher at Kulturskolan i Lund (Lund School of Culture) and as a horn instructor at Malmö Latin Skola (upper secondary school), in their specialized music program. Alongside her teaching roles, she is an active freelance musician. At the moment she plays in a musical theater production, with up to four performances per week. Additionally, she has also been a project leader of a youth symphonyorchestra, SKUSO.

Never really being able to let go of her work, is one of the aspects that Karin finds most demanding in being a professional musician. On the other hand, most often she finds that it also has a positive side: there are always new things to learn and new challenges ahead. Karin believes that as a musician one can never be fully trained, there is always more to discover. Especially as a freelancer, the variety of the work is an antidote to stagnation. Karin finds the constant striving to discover or refine something, on her own or as a part of an ensemble, one of the more rewarding sides of being a musician. But the most rewarding part is the shared experience that music provides - the feeling of connection with fellow musicians and the audience through performance is forher a source of fulfillment. Karin describes these shared moments of artistic expression as some kind of primal force that triumphs everything else.

“Well, it's nice to take a walk in the forest too, but it's nothing compared to sharing a cultural experience together.” Karin Brodin, Mar 19, 2025

Karin says that one of her strengths as a musician is the ability to build a sense of community. Karins professional identity as a musician, and as a teacher is deeply intertwined with the idea of folkbildning.[1] It is not only about the horn playing, it’s about using music as a way to build knowledge, community and belonging. Throughout her career, community building is always a key part of what Karin can contribute with as a freelancer, in addition to her horn playing, always valuing fostering a sense of belonging among colleagues.

Karin values collaboration and the collective experience of music-making over individual glory. This was evident in her final recital, which emphasized chamber music and ensemble performances rather than solo pieces. A duet with her husband on alt trombone, a duet with a friend who plays flute and hornensemble with the MHM horn class. Karins final recital was not a moment to show off as a soloist, but more a moment to share a musical experience with the community she built during her time at the conservatory.

A full version of the text can be read in Josefin Hagbo Petersens thesis. Full title will be "I'm good at being different - finding an artistic identity when navigating the transition from being a student to becoming a professional, by exploring diverse career paths and the challenges and rewards in a life as a professional musician."

Josefin is alsoa freelance hornplayer and a good friend of mine. Her ability to capture the essence of what I want to give back to the world continues to impress me.

This text ispublished with the permission of her.

[1] The term ‘folkbildning’ is difficult to translate intoEnglish. ‘Folkbildning’ is about the life-long right of all people tofreely seek knowledge. Part of the purpose of folkbildning is to: close educational gaps and raise the educational level in society & broaden the interest and participation in cultural life. https://www.folkuniversitetet.se/in-english/about-folkuniversitetet/what-is-folkbildning/