Filip Jers (born 1986) is one of the world's leading harmonica players with a broad musical spectrum. 

He began playing the harmonica at 13. Prior to that, he spent a year playing guitar, and before that, he started on the cello at the age of eight. Throughout his high school years, he experimented with a variety of instruments, including electric bass, accordion, piano, saxophone, flute, and bassoon. However, he always felt the harmonica resonated most deeply with his own voice.

In 2004, he traveled to Trossingen, Germany, and competed in the "World Harmonica Championships." He won two gold medals, one in blues and one in jazz.

After this, he returned home and started to study at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm as the first harmonica player ever. He studied in the jazz department, focusing on jazz theory, jazz ensemble and performance, ear training, composition, orchestration, and more. His final concert after three years was with the Filip Jers Quartet, featuring an hour of his original music for the harmonica. He then continued his studies for two more years, earning a master's degree in Jazz. His master's thesis was the album "Spiro," on which he played all instruments, wrote and performed all the music, and recorded and mixed the album.

In 2011, at the age of 25, he completed his master's degree in music and has since been freelancing full-time as a musician.

Jers works regulary with Filip Jers Quartet, with his duo with guitarist Emil Ernebro and as a guest soloist in different projects. He has been a featured solist with many cutting edge jazz big bands in Sweden as well as performing with two of Scandinavias finest string orchestras; Musica Vitae and Camerata Nordica. Jers has been featured on more than 50 CD's as a recording artist, playing harmonica.

Jers is an "International Suzuki Harmonica Artist", he is endorsing and playing harmonicas made by Suzuki Harmonicas from Japan. 

Jers tours extensively in Sweden and abroad and has visited over 30 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. He has played on all kinds of stages - from jazz clubs in Tokyo, school concerts in West Africa, city festivals in South Korea, harmonica festivals in the USA, and farmers' days in Finland.

Filip Jers loves new collaborations and genre-crossing projects and has collaborated with artists from various genres such as Benny Andersson, Timbuktu, Tomas Ledin, Jan Lundgren, Sanna Nielsen, Rigmor Gustafsson, and Lill Lindfors. He is also a sought-after soloist. Over the years, he has worked with several jazz ensembles, big bands, and string ensembles such as Musica Vitae and Camerata Nordica. Filip Jers has taken private lessons from, and as a curiosity, had ice cream with Toots Thielemans. He also studied privately with Robert Bonfiglio and Howard Levy.

Besides playing concerts Jers has extensive experience as a harmonica teacher. Besides teching privately and giving workshops in different countries all over the world he is also engaged as harmonica teacher at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark and Sibelius Academy in Helsingfors, Finland. 

He also runs Fojablue Records, an independent record label that has released Spiro (FRCD01, 2011), Filip Jers Quartet (FRCD02, 2013) and Duet with Emil Ernebro (FRCD03, 2019).

In 2014, SVT (Swedish Television) aired the documentary "Harmonica Man" about Filip Jers, and the same year his quartet won the Best Group award at the EBU Jazz Competition in the Netherlands.

Selected awards:

• 2023 - "Harmonica Player of the Year - Berne Bray Award" by SPAH

• 2018 - 2 year long-term grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee

• 2016 – Jazzkatten "Musician of the Year" by Swedish Radio

• 2016 – Album of the Year for "Plays Swedish Folk" at the Manifest Gala

• 2015 – Björn J:son Lindh scholarship

• 2013 – German Record Critics award "Aurora" for Stockholm Lisboa Project

• 2012 – Alice Babs Jazz Scholarship

• 2011 – STIM – composer's scholarship

• 2010 – Royal Swedish Academy of Music Jazz Studies scholarship

• 2010 – Harry Arnold Society Jazz Scholarship

• 2005 – World Harmonica Championships 1st prize in Jazz & Blues

• 2003 - Jazz Prize for young musicians in "Musik Direkt"

Besides music, Filip enjoys drinking coffee, yoga, and reading books by Stephen King.

Selected Discography

"In the Spirit of Toots" - Filip Jers with Carl Bagge Trio, Prophone/Naxos 2023

"Plays Classical" - Filip Jers Quartet, Prophone/Naxos, 2022

"Gotland Jazz Trio & Filip Jers", Gotlandsmusiken, 2018

"Duet" - Emil Ernebro & Filip Jers, Fojablue Records, 2018

"Live at the Victoria - Svante Sjöblom & Filip Jers, Maestro Music, 2017

"Plays Swedish Folk" - Filip Jers Quartet, 2015

"New Scandinavian Harmonica" Filip Jers & Jouko Kyhälä, 2014

"Filip Jers Quartet", Fojablue Records, 2012

"Aurora" - Stockholm Lisboa Project, WestPark Music, 2012

"Åka Med - Primus Motor, PriMot Music, 2012

"Spiro" - Filip Jers, Fojablue Records, 2011

"Diagonal" - Stockholm Lisboa Project, 2009 

Reviews

"Jers' refined and elegant phrasing captivates the listener. It's brilliance that comes from the depths." – Sven Bjerstedt, Kristianstadsbladet

"To overcome one's instrument in a sense is a challenge for anyone, but despite receiving great attention as a harmonica player, that's exactly what Jers manages to achieve here. He is first and foremost an expressive musician." – Johannes Cornell, Dagens Nyheter

"Where does he belong? This eternal longing to categorize and put in a box. Jers doesn't let it be done. And the surrender is a balm for the soul." – Anna Wallentin, Västerbottens Folkblad

"Toots Thielemans has found an heir who doesn't copy but goes his own way." – Anders Olofsson, OrkesterJournalen