Composers

One of the most important figures in the current flowering of Icelandic music is Hafliði Hallgrímsson, born in 1941 in the small town of Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland. He began playing the cello at the age of ten and studied in Reykjavík and the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome....

Dr. Kjartan Ólafsson (1958) graduated in 1984 from the Reykjavík College of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition. He continued his studies in Utrecht in Holland, at the Institute of Sonology, where he concentrated on electronic music, and later at the Sibelius Academy in ...

Played by the best orchestras, ensembles and soloists, his music reflects a powerful sense of drama. The variety of rhythms and sounds, the combination of lyrical and percussive moments, give to his compositions a unique intensity.

Leifur Þórarinsson was born in Reykjavík on 13 August 1934, and died on 24 April 1998 at the age of only 63. He began violin studies with Þorvaldur Steingrímsson at an early age, progressing to the Reykjavík College of Music, where he studied with Björn Ólafsson. He also studied th...

Páll Ísólfsson studied music, mainly the organ with Karl Straube in Leipzig (1913-18). He was an assistant and substitute organist at St. Thomas´ Church in Leipzig 1917-1919. Further studies with Joseph Bonnet in Paris 1925.

Composer Thurídur Jónsdóttir explores new soundscapes in her compositions. She creates various types of both orchestral pieces and chamber music. Many of her compositions include electronics, or multimedia, others might include extended techniques, theatrical performances, nature sounds...

Árni Björnsson studied with Páll Ísólfsson and at the Reykjavík College of Music from 1930 to 1935. He went to Manchester, England for further flute studies from 1944-1946 with secondary emphasis on piano and composition. Upon Árni´s return to Iceland he taught at the Reykjavík ...

The composer and pianist Snorri Sigfús Birgisson commenced his musical studies with Gunnar Sigurgeirsson and then went on to study at the Reykjavík College of Music where his teachers were Hermína Kristjánsson, Jón Nordal, Árni Kristjánsson (piano), and Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson (com...