Anders Hillborg was born in Stockholm on the 31st of May, 1954. He gained his first musical experience singing in choirs and he was also involved in various forms of improvised music. From 1976 to 1982 he studied counterpoint, composition and electronic music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where his teachers included Gunnar Bucht, Lars-Erik Rosell, Arne Mellnäs and Pär Lindgren. Brian Ferneyhough, who was a guest lecturer at the College of Music on several occasions, was also an important source of inspiration.

Apart from occasional teaching positions (as professor of composition at the Malmö College of Music in 1990 and at various master classes and courses), Hillborg has been a full-time freelance composer since 1982.

His sphere of activity is extensive, covering orchestral, choral and chamber music as well as music for films and pop music. He has received several awards and distinctions, including the Christ Johnson Music Prize in 1991 and a Grammy (the Swedish Gramophone Award) as Composer of the Year in 1995 for the record Jag vill se min älskade komma från det vilda (I want to see my beloved coming from the wild) which he co-produced with the singer Eva Dahlgren.

Celestial Mechanics for solo strings and Hillborg’s Violin Concerto were both chosen as recommended works at UNESCO’s Composers Rostrum, in 1992 and 1995 respectively.

In 2002 his orchestral work Dreaming River won the 1st prize in this competition.