CAPUT-members

August 26, 2003

News

Members

Discography

Composers

Cronology

Reviews

Auður Hafsteinsdóttir (violin)
Auður studied with Guðný Guðmundsdóttir, at the Reykjavík College of Music, graduating as performing soloist at the age of 17. She continued her studies at the New England Conservatory, and later at the University of Minnesota, completing her Master's Degree in 1991. Her teachers there were the internationally renowned Almita and Roland Vamos.

Auður has received many awards for her playing. In 1985 she was a recipient of the C.D.Jackson Award for outstanding string player at the Tanglewood International Music Festival and in 1988 she received first prize for the Schubert Club Soloist Competition in Minneapolis. In 1991, Auður won a competition to represent Iceland at the Festival for Young Scandinavian Soloists in Finland, and also in 1991, she received a three-year stipend from the City of Reykjavík. In 1996, Auður was awarded a three-year stipend by the Icelandic government.

Auður has appeared both as soloist and chamber-musician throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, Japan and China. She is a founder member of Trio Nordica and also works regularly with a string quartet. Auður's playing has featured on numerous CDs both in Iceland and abroad.

Brjánn Ingason (bassoon) <brbr@ismennt.is>
Brjánn studied bassoon with Hafsteinn Guðmundsson at FÍH Music School in Reykjavík, Martin Gatt at Guildhall School of Music in London, Torleiv Nedberg at the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo and with John Moustard at Sweelinck Concervatorium, Amsterdam. He played with various orchestras and chamber groups in Norway and Holland and has been bassoonist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra since 1991.

Bryndís Halla Gylfadóttir (cello) <brynka@vortex.is>
Bryndís Halla is principal cellist in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. After studying cello at the Reykjavík College of Music, where Gunnar Kvaran was one of her teachers, she went on to the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she was taught by Colin Carr and Laurence Lesser. She completed the bachelor's degree in 1987, and the master's degree two years later. She took private lessons in Amsterdam for some time after her stay in America, returning to Iceland in the autumn of 1990, in order to assume the position in the orchestra. Bryndís Halla has performed Icelandic contemporary music widely. She received a grant awarded to artists by the Icelandic Ministry of Culture from 1993-96. Bryndís Halla was awarded first prize in the performing artists' section of Tónvakinn, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service's music competition in 1992, the first year this event was held.

Daníel Þorsteinsson (piano) <dato@est.is>
Daníel received his Piano Diploma from the Sigursveinn D. Kristinsson Music College in Reykjavík and continued his studies at the Sweelinck Music Conservatory in Amsterdam. Since graduating in 1993, Daníel has been active on the Icelandic music scene. He frequently performs with singers and chamber groups, and he appears regularly as a soloist as well, both in recital and with orchestra. Together with the cellist Sigurður Halldórsson he has organized two music festivals, the Hindemith / Fauré Festival in 1995, and two years later the Brahms / Schubert Festival. In September of 2000, they performed all of Beethoven'´s Sonatas for piano and cello in the same evening in Reykjavík a feat they repeated later in the Faroe Islands. Daniel has been a pianist with the CAPUT ensemble from the beginning, making recordings for Radio and CDs and touring extensively in Iceland and abroad. He has been living in Akureyri, a town in the North of Iceland, since 1993. There, he was recently nominated Artist of the Year 2000.

Eggert Pálsson (percussion) <epal@centrum.is>
xx

Eiríkur Örn Pálsson (trompet) <heirikur@tal.is>
xx

Elísabet Waage (harp) <fredlef@dutch.nl>
Elisabet studied piano and harp at the Reykjavik College of Music. After getting her piano teacher’s diploma, she went to Holland for further harp studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Her teacher there, was the distinguished harpist and professor Edward Witsenburg. In 1987 she graduated with the diplomas of harp teacher and performer. Elisabet, living alternately in Holland and Iceland, has mainly performed in those two countries, but also in many other European countries. When the World Harp Congress (held every three years throughout the world) was held in Copenhagen in 1993, she was asked to give a performance there. Chamber music has always been a great part of Elisabet’s work although she regularly plays in orchestras. She has made recordings for the Icelandic Radio a.o. with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and performed on CD’s with e.g. the Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra. Together with the Dutch flutist Peter Verduyn Lunel she recorded a CD published by Arsis Classics in Holland. Elisabet Waage has played harp solos with the Chamber Orchestra of Reykjavik, the Icelandic Orchestra, Autunno Ensemble in Holland, Avanti in Finnland and the Aarhus Sinfonietta in Denmark.

Emil Friðfinnsson (horn) <sabine@allianz.is>
In Iceland Emil studied with Roar Kvam in Akureyri and with Joseph Ognibene at the Reykjavik College of Music. Later he studied with Professor Hermann Baumann in Essen, Germany. Emil worked for a few years with orchestras in Germany but after returning to Iceland he has been on a permanent contract with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Emil has also played with chamber music groups like Kvintett Coretto and the Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra. He has been a horn player with the CAPUT-ensemble from 1987.

Eydís Franzdóttir (oboe) <ef@ismennt.is>
Eydís graduated on the oboe in 1987 from the Reykjavik College of Music, followed by four years of futher studies in London with Michael Winfield and Gordon Hunt. She played for a while with the Europian orchestra, Acadya, before she was appointed as a Principal Oboe of the Czech Radio Orchestra in Pilzen in 1992. Eydís received artistic salarys from Reykjavík City 1996 and a salary for two years from the Icelandic Ministry of Culture 2000. As well as beeing the oboist of CAPUT, Eydís has performed extensively around Europe, North-America and Iceland, as a soloist and with chamber groups and orchestras.

Gerður Gunnarsdóttir (violin - concertmeister)<gerdur@puntin.de>
Gerdur studied violin at Sigursveinn D. Kristinsson Music School in Iceland and later with Igor Ozim in Cologne and Herman Krebbers in Amsterdam. 1990 she won the first price in the "Postbank-Sweelinck" violin contest in Amsterdam. She completed her "Konzertexamen" from Musikhochschule Köln 1991 and has served as third concertmaster of the "Gürzenich-Orcestra Cologne" since 1992. 1994-1995 she worked with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and as first concertmaster of the Icelandic Opera. Gerdur has played with the CAPUT Ensemble from the beginning. She has also performed with different chamber orchestras in Europe (such as Ensemble Modern, Neusser Kammerakademie, Consortium Classicum, Kölner Kammerorchester) and as a soloist, both in Iceland and abroad.

Since 1995 Gerdur has performed in a duo, "Essence of North", with the clarinetist Claudio Puntin (CD: Ýlir ECM 2001) and since 2000 in Claudio Puntin's quintett "clap-you" (world-music).

Guðmundur Óli Gunnarsson (conductor) <goli@ismennt.is>
Guðmundur Óli studied conducting in Utrecht, Holland and with Jorma Panula in Helsinki, Finland. He has conducted the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Reykjavík Chamber Ensemble, conducted opera performances and worked with choirs and student and amateur groups. Guðmundur Óli is the primary conductor of the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He is a permanent conductor with the CAPUT ensemble and has conducted the ensemble on several recordings and numerous concerts in Iceland and in Europe.

Guðmundur Kristmundsson (viola) <gugr@ismennt.is>
Guðmundur graduated from the Reykjavik College of Music 1986 with a performance diploma and received a UM diploma 1990 from Brabantsconservatorium de Tilburg, Holland. He has appeared in numerous performances in Iceland and abroad as a member of the Bernardel string quartet, the ETHOS string quartet and the Cammerarctica chamber group. Guðmundur teaches at the Reykjavik College of Music and has been a member of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra since 1990. He has appeared as a soloist with the orchestra. Guðmundur received an artist grant from the Icelandic government 2000 - 02.

Guðni Franzson (clarinet) <gf@ismennt.is>
Guðni graduated with a diploma in clarinet and composition from the Reykjavík College of Music 1984. His main teachers there were Mr. Einar Jóhannesson (clarinet) and Mr. Atli H. Sveinsson (composition). Later Guðni went to Holland, where he received a grant from the Dutch Culture Ministry and the Danish Léonie Sonnings fund, to study with George Pieterson, Walter Boeykens and Harry Sparnaay.

Gudni has appeared as a soloist throughout Europe, in Brazil, Canada and the former Soviet Union and has recorded numerous CDs both with classical and new music as well as folk music. In addition, he regularly records for Radio and Television. He is a co-founder and co-artistic director of CAPUT.

Gudni Franzson also works as a composer. He has written music for numerous theatre and dance productions, chamber music, music for children and music for unconventional instruments (e.t. ceramics). He has been active on the dance and theatre scene, works with groups like Pars Pro Toto, Bandamenn and at the Icelandic National Theatre.

Guðrún Óskarsdóttir (harpsichord) <gudrunos@ismennt.is>
After receiving a diploma as a piano teacher from the Reykjavík College of Music in 1996, Guðrún studied the harpsichord with Helga Ingólfsdóttir. Later her teachers were Anneke Uittenbosch at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam, Jesper Böje Christensen at the Scola Cantorum in Basel and Francoise Langéllé in Paris.

Guðrún has done some recordings for the harpsichord and appeared as a soloist, accompanist or as a participant in chamber music on numerous recitals and concerts in Iceland and elsewhere in Europe. She has performed with the Skálholt Bach Chamber Orchestra, the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra and with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Guðrún has been the harpsichord player of the CAPUT ensemble from 1992.

Hávarður Tryggvason (double-bass) <ht-tmj@isholf.is>
After his musical studies in Iceland, Hávarður went to France to study at the Paris Conservatory under the guidance of maestro J.M.Rollez. 1986 he graduated with a first price and two years later he finished the postgraduate program at the same school. 1989 - 95 he was on contract with the Royal Flamish Opera Orchestra in Antwerpen. During that period he continued his studies at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp with maestro Etienne Siebens. Hávarður moved back to Iceland 1995 when he was appointed Principal Bass of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Hávarður teaches at the Reykjavik College of Music, is a member of the CAPUT-ensemble and performs with several other chamber music ensembles.

Helga Bryndís Magnúsdóttir (piano) <goli@ismennt.is>
After diplomas from the Reykjavik College of Music, Helga Bryndís pursued her studies in Vienna and Helsinki. She has appeared as soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Helga Bryndís is active as soloist and chamber music player as well as accompanist with singers.

Hildigunnur Halldórsdóttir (violin) <hildig@simnet.is>
Hildigunnur Halldórsdóttir graduated from the Reykjavik College of music in 1987. She studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York and finished her M.M. in 1992. Since then Hildigunnur has been a member of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. As well as being a member of CAPUT she also plays chamber music with Camerarctica and Contrasti.

Kolbeinn Bjarnason (flute) <gudrunos@ismennt.is>
Kolbeinn studied philosophy and literature at the University of Iceland. He graduated as a flute player from the Reykjavik College of Music in l979, studied with the great Austrian flute player Manuela Wiesler 1979 - 81 and with prominent flute players from 1981 - 84 (Kyoshi Kasai in Switzerland, Robert Aitken in Canada, Julius Baker, Robert Dick and Harvey Sollberger in USA). He took private lessons in Japanese Music / Shakuhaci with Ralph Samuelson 1983 in New York and baroqe-flute course with Wilbert Hazelzet in Amsterdam 1988.

Kolbeinn has performed in radio and television and appeared as a soloist on numerous Icelandic music festivals. Many Icelandic composers have written music for flute, dedicated to him. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Iceland and Sweden and has given solo recitals in Japan, USA, Mexico and in various European countries. His CD with flute-solos by Lavista, Huber, Sollberger, Ferneyhough, Hallgrímsson and Haukson is published with the Italian label Audiar.

Together with Guðni Franzson, Kolbeinn has been the artistic director of the CAPUT ensemble from 1987 when the ensemble was founded.

Richard Korn (double-bass) <korn@ismennt.is>
xx

Sif Tulinius (violin) <sifmtul@yahoo.com>
Sif has been playing the violin since age 7 and graduated from the Reykjavik College of music in 1991 as a student of Guðný Guðmundsdóttir. Sif then went on to the U.S. to further her studies and earned a B.M. degree from Oberlin College, Ohio where her teachers were Almita and Roland Vamos. She finished her M.M. degree from New York under the guidance of Joyce Robbins and Joel Smirnoff. After graduation Sif embarked on a world tour with the pop star "Björk" after the release of the CD "Homogenic". Sif has performed in music festivals in the U.S., Europe and Japan and has been active in performance of new music and worked closely with composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina and George Crumb. Sif has performed with numerous ensemble such as Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt), Oriol Ensemble (Berlin) and the Munchener Kammerorchester. Sif was recently hired as the second Concertmaster of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir (violin) <siggae@centrum.is>
Sigrún began her violin studies in Reykjavík at the age of five under Gýgja Jóhannsdóttir, and continued with Guðný Guðmundsdóttir at the Reykjavík College of Music, graduating in 1984. Sigrún undertook further violin studies in the USA, taking private lesson with Roland and Almita Vamos and later with Jascha Brodsky and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music IN Philadelphia, and graduating with a B.M. degree in 1988. She has participated in numerous international violin competitions and received many prizes. She has performed widely as a soloist and as well in chamber music (from 1988 until 1990 as first violinist of the Miami String Quartet), participating in various music festivals around the world. She has also been appointed as the principal leader of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, with which she has regularly performed as a soloist. Sigrún enjoys performing new music and many composers have composed music specially for her. In 1988 the president of Iceland awarded Sigrún the Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon for her contribution to music.

Sigurður Flosason (sax) <sivi@simnet.is>
Graduated from The Reykjavík Conservatory of Music in 1983 with a soloist diploma in classical saxophone. Continued his studies at Iniana University in the U.S. where his principal instructors were Eugene Rousseau and David Baker. B.M from Indiana University in classical saxophone and jazz studies 1986 and Master of music in the same subjects from the same school in 1988. Private studies with George Coleman in New York 1988-99.

Flosason works in many different fields of music. He has been one of Iceland´s jazz musician´s since the late 1980´s as well as playing various other kinds of music. Sigurdur has made several CD´s in his own name, some of which contain his original compositions. He has toured extensively and participated in several international projects. Sigurdur playes saxophone with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra when needed and has participated in chamber music with the Reykajvik Chamber Ensemble and other groups. Sigurdur Flosason is chairman of the jazz department at The F.I.H. School of music, Iceland´s only jazz school.

Sigurður Halldórsson (cello) <siha@ismennt.is>
Sigurður studied ´cello playing in Reykjavik with Gunnar Kvaran and in London at the Guildhall School with Raphael Sommer. He has appeared as a soloist in festivals, films, theatre productions and with orchestras ond has given numerous solo recitals. He recently published the CD "Monologue" with 20th century solo pieces for ´cello, including the sonata op. 8 by Kodály.

He is an active chamber musician. Apart from playing with CAPUT he works with "Camerarctica", a small Icelandic chamber ensemble, and vocal group "Voces Thules" that specializes in medieval music from Iceland.

Sigurdur has played with CAPUT pianist Daniel Thorsteinsson since 1983. They have performed together widely in Europe and America as well as in Iceland, and have played much of the ´cello-piano repertoir. Most recently all 5 sonatas for piano and ´cello by Beethoven in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark.

Sigurdur playes the baroque ´cello and is a member of Skalholt Bach Consort. Last summer he played the complete suites of J.S. Bach in Skalholt Baroque and Contemporary Music Festival.

Sigurður Þorbergsson (trombone) <jusig@mi.is>
Sigurdur (Siggi) studied the trombone in Iceland and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (1984-89) where his teacher were Denis Wick, Eric Crees, Peter Gane and Dudley Bright. Since 1989 Siggi has held the post of Co-Principal Trombone with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He is also a regular member of chamber ensembles such as CAPUT, Quintet Corretto (Brass) and the Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra. His soloist activities include Park Lane Group recital at the Purcell Room, CAPUT Soloist in Milan and at Salurinn Series (Kopavogur Music House, Iceland). In 1998 he was a prizewinner in the Lieksa Trombone Competition, Finland, and performed the Gröndahl Concerto with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra on that occasion.

Sigurlaug Eðvaldsdóttir (violin)<laug@ismennt.is>
Sigurlaug studied violin at the Reykjavík College of Music under the guidance of Guðný Guðmundsdóttir. After completing her studies there in 1983 she studied at The Manhattan School of Music with Ani Kavafian. Sigurlaug was a member of The Mexico State Symphony Orchestra for five years but since 1994 she has been a member of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Beside teaching, Sigurlaug is active in chamber music, playing with groups like The Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra, CAPUT and Cammerarctica.

Snorri Sigfús Birgisson (piano) <ssb@centrum.is>
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 (composition). He studied piano with Barry Snyder at the Eastman School of Music, U.S.A. (1974-1975) and composition with Finn Mortensen in Norway where he also studied electronic music with Lasse Thoresen and sonology with Thoresen and Olav Anton Thommessen (1975-76). Snorri moved to Amsterdam in 1976 where he studied composition for two years with Ton de Leeuw. Since 1980 he has been living in Reykjavík, where he is active as a musician and music teacher. He has composed solo works, chamber works, symphonic pieces and choir music. In 1997 he gave the first performance of his new Piano Concerto with the North Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. The Piano Concerto was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize 1997. Portrait No.6 for solo piano was performed at the ISCM festival in 2000.

Steef van Oosterhout (percussion) <s.vanoosterhout@internet.is>
Steef graduated from the Sweelinck conservatory in Amsterdam in 1987. Worked as a freelance musician in the Netherlands and other European countries with e.g. Asko ensemble, Schönberg ensemble and the Dutch wind ensemble, as well as with most of the Dutch symphony orchestras. He was a member of the Amsterdam percussion group until 1991 when he moved to Iceland to join the Iceland symphony orchestra as a percussionist/timpanist. Has been playing with CAPUT since 1992.

Valgerður Andrésdóttir (piano) <valaaa@islandia.is>
Valgerður studied piano at the Reykjavík College of Music and made her Soloist Degree 1985. Her teachers were a.o. Anna Þorgrímsdóttir and Margrét Eiríksdóttir. Valgerður continued her studies with professor Georg Sava in Berlin and received a diploma from "Hochschüle der Künste" in 1992. She has regularly attended master classes with professor György Sebök. She lived in Copenhagen for several years where she worked as a pianist and teacher. Valgerður has given numerous concerts in Iceland and abroad and has worked with singers and in chamber music.

Valur Pálsson (double-bass) <valur@swipnet.se>
xx

Zbigniew Dubik (violin) <valur@swipnet.se>
Mr. Dubik graduated 1983 from the Academy of Music in Gdansk, Poland. 1982 he accepted a post of a concertmaster with the Polish Philharmonic Orchestra and toured with the orchestra throughout Europe and the USA. He has recorded chamber music for Polish, French and German record companies. Mr. Dubik has been a member of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra since 1988. He has been a concertmaster at the Icelandic Opera (1989-93), a member of the Bernardel String Quartet (1994-97) and a leading violinist of CAPUT on numerous occasions, e.g. as a soloist in Lars Graugaard’s violin concerto, River and Leaf (CLASSCD-189).