The Swedish cellist Karolina Öhman performs internationally as a chamber musician, soloist and ensemble player, with a diverse repertoire.  Tours and festival appearances have taken Karolina to numerous countries across Europe and Asia. She is especially committed to the performance of contemporary music, and has premiered over 100 solo, chamber music and ensemble works.

She has appeared as a soloist with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Meiningen Court Orchestra, Camerata Zürich, Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden, Basel Sinfonietta and the Ensemble Namascae among others, in festivals such as Archipel Geneva, Klangspuren Schwaz, ReMusik St. Petersburg, Royaumont and les Jardins Musicaux.

Being a devoted chamber musician, Karolina  is a member of several ensembles, including Mondrian Ensemble (Basel), Trio SÆITENWIND (Basel), NeuverBand (Basel), and Curious Chamber Players (Stockholm). In 2008, Karolina founded the cello and percussion duo “UmeDuo”, together with her sister Erika. The Duo has appeared in renowned concert halls and Festivals throughout Europe, and has premiered works in close collaboration with composers from Sweden and abroad. Karolina has also appeared as a guest with ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporaine (Paris), Ensemble Phoenix (Basel) and Collegium Novum (Zürich).

Since 2016 Karolina is the principal cellist of the Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden. She also plays regularly as guest with the Tonhalle-Orchestra Zürich, the Zürich Opera Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. As a student Karolina was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

Karolina has won several awards including the Swiss Music Prize with the Mondrian Ensemble in 2018 and the 1st prize at the prestigious Nicati 2013 competition for contemporary music, Switzerland. During her studies she was  awarded scholarships from foundations in both Sweden and Switzerland, including Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation, Stiftung Lyra and Ernst Göhner Stiftung, and in 2010 she became a beneficiary of the Concert Promotion Migros in Zürich.

Karolina studied with Thomas Grossenbacher, Thomas Demenga and Torleif Thedéen, and graduated with both a soloist diploma from Zürcher Hochschule der Künste and a specialized masters in contemporary music from Musik-Akademie Basel. She also received significant input from musicians such as Mike Svoboda, Martina Schucan and Frans Helmerson.