Born on 15th July 1935 in Stockholm, he studied traditional composition handicraft with Lennart Wenström 1956-1960. He made his début at Fylkingen 1962. At an early stage he became interested in electronic music, and in addition to his own output Bodin has played an immensely important part in inspiring and promoting the growth of electronic music in Sweden. Together with composer Bengt-Emil Johnson, he directed the Stockholm festivals of text-sound composition, starting in 1967 and was Chairman of the concert organization Fylkingen 1969-1972. He visited the USA as a Composer in Residence at Mills College, California, in 1972. In 1979 Bodin was made Director of the Electronic Music Studio (EMS) in Stockholm, and he was a prime mover in its transfer from Kungsgatan 8 to new, purpose-designed facilities in the Munich Brewery on Söder Mälarstrand.
Lars-Gunnar Bodin’s compositions are closely bound up with his profound commitment to humanism, science, ecology, future development etc. During his work he has devoted himself to many different fields of contemporary music: instrumental theatre, text-sound composition, multi-media works and interaction between instrumentalists and tape recordings. Several of his compositions have aroused international attention through their solid craftsmanship, distinctness of profile and forcefulness of expression.
The encounter between language and music has inspired him with several works, and his compositions frequently include phonetic elements. Concern for detail is one aspect of his working methods which is frequently mentioned with respect by his colleagues. This concentration on the micro level does not impede him from building up large-scale, block-like, multi-layer processes. H-G P