Sigurður Halldórsson

Sigurður Halldórsson studied cello with Gunnar Kvaran at the Music School in Reykjavík and at Guildhall School of Music in London with Raphael Sommer. There he also studied singing, chamber music and Performance and Communication Skills (PCS) which addresses various aspects of being an active musician in a changing world. Sigurður has worked as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher in diverse musical styles from the Middle Ages to the present day. He performs with the Caput ensemble, Voces Thules, Symphonia angelica, Camerarctica and the Skálholt Quartet and has performed both as a soloist and with the aforementioned ensembles throughout Europe, North America, China and Japan, and in sound and video recordings for radio, television and more.

Sigurður has performed a large part of the cello and piano repertoire widely, both in Iceland and abroad with pianist Daníel Þorsteinnsson, and they have worked together for over three decades.

Sigurður frequently performs in the field of early music, both as a performer and teacher. He has worked in theatre, including experimental productions in dance and music theatre. Sigurður was one of the founders of the 15:15 concert series which was established in 2002. He has specialized in performing music from earlier periods with original instruments. His main mentors and collaborators in this field have been Helga Ingólfsdóttir, Ann Wallström, Bruno Cocset, Peter Spissky, and Jaap Schröder, and with him and the Skálholt Quartet and the Bach ensemble in Skálholt he has recorded 12 CDs. Sigurður was artistic director of the Summer Concerts in Skálholt Church from 2004 - 2014 and served on the board of the Nordic Early Music Federation from 2013 to 2017.

Sigurður was appointed professor at the Music Department of the Iceland University of the Arts in autumn 2017, but has worked at the school since 2008 as head of the international NAIP master's programme (New Audiences and Innovative Practice), participated in strategic planning and international collaborative projects, as well as teaching diverse courses in creative music-making and performance traditions and directing the school choir and various smaller ensemble and vocal groups.