Bára Grímsdóttir - Composer of the Month
Bára Grímsdóttir (b. 1960) is one of Iceland’s leading composers. She has played a key role in preserving and promoting Icelandic folk music heritage while building a distinguished and diverse career as a composer.
She graduated as a music teacher from Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík in 1983 and completed her studies in composition there in 1989. Her principal teachers included Karólína Eiríksdóttir, Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson and Atli Heimir Sveinsson. She pursued further studies at the conservatories of Utrecht and The Hague in the Netherlands, where she studied with, among others, Louis Andriessen, Tristan Keuris and Ron Ford.
Bára’s choral music has enjoyed particular popularity, especially the work Ég vil lofa eina þá, which is one of the most frequently performed pieces in the Icelandic choral repertoire and is regularly sung by choirs around the world. Her catalogue ranges from solo works to orchestral compositions and operas. Among her larger works is the opera Jón biskup Arason (2021).
Coming from a family of folk singers, Bára has spent decades working to preserve and promote Icelandic folk music. She has served as chair of Kvæðamannafélagið Iðunn and has performed extensively with her husband, the English folk singer Chris Foster. Together they have released several recordings, including Funi (2004) and Flúr (2013).
In 2019, Bára was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Falcon in recognition of her contributions to the preservation and renewal of Iceland’s musical heritage.