Sparf studied at the Royal Conservatory of Stockholm and in Prague. He became the leader of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 1993 and leads the Drottingholm Baroque Ensemble and the Stockholm Sinfonietta. He has recorded with Mutter, Forsberg, and the Uppsala Chamber Soloists. Sparf's Baroque violin recordings include Vivaldi's Four Seasons and on the BIS and Proprius labels and he tours worldwide with soloists and as an orchestra leader.