Arngerður María Árnadóttir
b. 1975
Arngerður María Árnadóttir (born 1975) began studying piano at a young age in Þingeyjarsýsla, in the north of Iceland. She studied in the piano department of the Reykjavík College of Music, and later continued her studies at Aalborg University, where she earned a BA degree in music in 2000. Arngerður subsequently completed the Cantor’s Examination from Iceland’s School of Sacred Music in 2007. For many years, her main occupation was as music director/organist and choir conductor at Víðistaðakirkja, Laugarneskirkja, and most recently Háteigskirkja.
In the autumn of 2017, however, Arngerður began a master’s degree in composition at the Iceland University of the Arts, graduating in the spring of 2021. Since then, she has increasingly focused on composition, and many of her works have been performed publicly by for example Hallgrímskirkja Motet Choir, organist Guðný Einarsdóttir, Voces Thules, Finnish Choir Philomela, Siggi String Quartet, Stirni Ensemble and organist Björn Steinar Sólbergsson.
Arngerður is also very active as a performer and is one of the founders of Umbra ensemble, with whom she has recorded four albums and toured extensively around the world.
In 2023, Arngerður founded the duo Translations together with violinist Una Sveinbjarnardóttir, and their debut album will be released in August 2025.
Arngerður received artist grants as a performer in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024 — and most recently also as a composer in 2024.