Nordic Chamber Music: Iceland – The Original Viking Opera
$30 ($10 child/student)
- Ingibjörg Aldís Ólafsdóttir, soprano
- Egill Árni Pálsson, tenor
- Hrönn Þráinsdóttir, piano
- Helgi Jónsson, percussion
Hailing from the land of fire and ice, Voices of Reykjavik, will bring Icelandic Opera and Art Song to the Nordic Chamber Music 2023 season. Soprano, tenor, piano, and percussion bring to life the sounds of the dramatic musical life in Iceland, immersing audiences in an experience usually found only on the isolated, northern island, but now presented to you in Seattle. Epic Viking sagas permeate Icelandic folklore and make for equally epic and adventurous operas and songs performed by Icelanders themselves.
The 2023 Season of the newly rebranded and reimagined Nordic Chamber Music Series will be produced and underwritten by the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society. If you would like to support this series and ensure its future, please donate here: https://nwegriegsociety.org/donate/
About Ingibjörg Aldís Ólafsdóttir, soprano
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUCsSpxG_wXQXDewti5_fUg/videos
About Egill Árni Pálsson, tenor
Egill studied at The Reykjavik Academy of Singing and the Vocal Arts in Iceland. He also did intensive training with David Jones at the David Jones Voice Studio in New York for several years. He lived in Germany and worked as a professional singer, taking part in notable competitions and productions, such as the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, Oper Schloss Laubach, Classic Open Air in Berlin paired with soprano Lucia Aliberti, gala concert at the Mercedes World in Berlin and as a soloist in Das Lied von der Erde in Frankfurt(Oder) and Berlin as well as starring in Rigoletto at the Neuköllner Oper. He performed one of the main roles in Wagner's opera Das Liebesverbot at the Braunschweig Opera and at the Schloss Rheinsberg Open Air Gala. In 2008 he became a part of the ensemble at the Gerhardt-Hauptmann Opera House in Görlitz. Most recently Egill prepared the role of Cavaradossi at the Icelandic Opera. Egill has studied with great teachers and conductors through the years: Janet Williams, Prof.Edwin Scholz and Prof. Wolfgang Millgramm in Berlin. Johan Botha, Reiner Goldberg, Elisabeth Mayer-Topsöe and Kiri Te Kanawa. Martin Fischer-Dieskau, Kevin McCutcheon, Howard Griffiths, Frank Strobel, Esa Häkkilä and Hendrik Vestmann to name a few. Egill has since 2004 studied with David Jones in New York, not only singing but the art of diagnostic teaching. He as also finished the Vocal Teaching studies with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Among projects in Iceland for the past few years are Kúnstpása at the Icelandic Opera, Paukenmesse by Haydn, Lobgesang by Mendelssohn, Mozart Requiem and a recording of Icelandic songs and duets called Reverie. Egill sits on the boards of the Professional Association of Classical Singers and The Icelandic Musicians Association as well as being a member of the faculty at The Reykjavik Academy of Singing and the Vocal Arts . https://en.egillpalsson.com/
About Hrönn Þráinsdóttir, piano
Pianist Hrönn Þráinsdóttir studied in Germany at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg where her principal teachers were Prof. Dr. Tibor Szász and Hans-Peter Müller professor of lyrics. She graduated in 2004 with a diploma in music performance, lied-accompaniment and music education. She moved to Stuttgart to study with Professor Cornelis Witthoefft at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst and received her Master's degree from the faculty of lyrics in 2007 Hrönn has given concerts and accompanied singers and instrumentalists in Iceland and abroad. Hrönn´s repertoire as a solist and a chamber musician ranges from early music (Baroque) to contemporary music. Hrönn recieved, as a member of Chamber Orchestra Ísafold, the Icelandic Music Awards price in 2007 for a CD containing modern music. She teaches at the Reykjavík Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts and the Reykjavík College of Music.