Morten Ryelund, born 1970, has studied conducting with Professor Alexander Polischuk at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia. In addition to his conducting studies, Morten Ryelund completed an education in violin performance at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music. Furhermore he has taken conducting lessons with Jorma Panula, Markus Lehtinen, Associate Professor Frans Rasmussen and Professor Dan Oluf Stenlund amongst others.

Morten Ryelund made his debut as a symphonic orchestra conductor with Copenhagen's Youth Symphony Orchestra in 1994 in Tivoli's Concert Hall. His professional début followed in 1996 with the Southern Jutland Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has conducted a large number of orchestras and ensembles, professional as well as amateur: West Jutland Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm Sinfonietta (Sweden), Southern Jutland Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Chamber Orchestra (Norway), Ålborg Symphony Orchestra, Pskov Symphony Orchestra (Russia), Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, Vidzêmes Chamber Orchestra (Latvia) and Novosibirsk Chamber Orchestra (Russia) amongst others. He was the only Scandinavian participant in the international Nicolai Malko Competition for Young Conductors, 2001.