Event info

Performers:
Dagur Þorgrímsson, tenor
Matthildur Anna Gísladóttir, piano
Ólafur Freyr Birkisson, bass
Vera Hjördís Matsdóttir, soprano
Þórhildur Steinunn Kristinsdóttir, mezzo-soprano

Clara Schumann: Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen
                             Die stille Lotusblume

Edward Grieg:     Med en vandlilje
                            Zur Rosenzeit
                            En dröm
                            Jeg elsker dig

Franz Schubert:  Gute Nacht
                            Die Forelle

Robert Schumann: Minnespiel Op. 101

The song cycle Minnespiel Op. 101 by Robert Schumann and Friedrich Ru¨ckert consists of quartets, duets and solo songs written for four voices and piano. Ru¨ckert’s poems speak of a love that has been earned and is much deeper and purer for it. The loving narrator asks his tones to climb up to his loved one’s window and convey his blossoming love, because he himself cannot, and their recipient is completely enraptured by his words and music. The poems are a reminder to cherish the gifts of life, for the festival of spring only lasts three days. So, if you have a loved one, crown them with roses before it passes. Here, the song cycle is paired with a few of Clara Schumann, Grieg and Schubert’s lieder, all of which had unbreakable ties with Robert himself.

Dagur Þorgrímsson tenor, born 1993, grew up in northern Iceland. He had his first piano lesson at the age of 6 and started guitar and singing lessons shortly after. Dagur had many opportunities at a young age to take the stage and develop as an actor and musician. He played with Efling's theater group in Breiðumýri and his high school theater group. He began formal classical singing studies in 2010 at the Music School in Akureyri under the guidance of Michael Jón Clarke and Daníel Þorsteinsson. In 2014, Dagur enrolled at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor degree in singing. His teachers there were Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Ólöf Kolbrún Harðardóttir, and Þóra Einarsdóttir. During his studies in Reykjavík Dagur sang the role of Tamino in a student production of the Magic Flute and played a role in the premiere of the chamber opera Kornið by Birgit Djupedal. He also sang with various choirs such as Dómkórinn, Seltjarnarneskirkja Chamber Choir, Langholtskirkja Church Choir and Schola Cantorum. In the autumn of 2019 Dagur started his master's studies in opera at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. There, he studies with Professor Christoph Strehl and Professor Kai Röhrig. In the summer of 2020, he sang one of the four roles in the premiere of the opera Ekkert er sorglegra en manneskjan (e. Nothing is more tragic than a human being), music by Friðrik Margrétar-Guðmundsson directed by Adolf Smári Unnarsson. The production received seven nominations for the Icelandic Theater Awards in 2021 and received the award for Music of the Year. Last year he sang the role of Prince in the opera Tea: A mirror of soul by the Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun, directed by Wolf Widder produced by Mozarteum. He also sang the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute by Mozart in a new production by Alexandra Szemerédy & Magdolna Parditka.

Born in Iceland, Matthildur Anna Gísladóttir graduated with a BMus degree in Performance from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2007. She continued her studies with Andrew West at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with an MA degree in Piano Accompaniment. Matthildur graduated with MMus in Repetiteurship from the Alexander Gibson Opera School at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in June 2014. During her studies, she was on a full scholarship and was also awarded the James H. Geddes Répétiteur Prize. Matthildur has been involved in opera productions with The Icelandic Opera, British Youth Opera, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Clonter Opera, Edinburgh Grand Opera, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, Scottish Opera and Royal Academy Opera. Matthildur now works as an accompanist and a coach at Iceland University of the Arts.

Ólafur Freyr Birkisson bass-baritone is a student at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts with Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Ólöf Kolbrún Harðardóttir and Stuart Skelton. He previously studied at The Reykjavík Academy of Singing with Egill Árni Pálsson and Hrönn Þráinsdóttir. Ólafur has attended several masterclasses, including by Roland Schubert and Stuart Skelton. Among his more prominent roles are: Dante, in the award winning opera Ekkert er sorglegra en manneskjan by Friðrik Margrétar-Guðmundsson and Adolf Smári Unnarsson, Gísli in the Raven's Kiss by Evan Fein and Þorvaldur Davíð Kristjánsson, and Tevye in the Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Þórhildur Þorleifsdóttir. Ólafur has performed as a soloist with Langholtskirkja Choir, including in Requiem by Fauré and in spring 2021 sang the role of Pilatus in the choir's performance of J.S. Bach's St. John Passion, directed by Magnús Ragnarsson. Furthermore, Ólafur has performed as Falke in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II, the Wolf in the children's musical Skilaboðaskjóðan by Jóhann G. Jóhannsson, the Mouse and the Black King in Furðuveröld Lísu by John Speight, der Sprecher and Erster Priester in The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart, and Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber. In 2018 Ólafur reached the final of Nótan, a competition of musical students, and won first prize in his category in the Vox Domini vocal competition.

Vera Hjördís Matsdóttir is a 25 year old soprano. She received a great part of her musical education in various choirs from the age of four from Jón Stefánsson conductor in Langholtskirkja, a local church. She was also a member of the Hamrahlíð Choir with Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir as conductor from the years of 2011-2015. From 2013-2020, Vera was a member of the renowned women's choir, Graduale Nobili and took the role of chairman from 2016-2019. Vera Hjördís studied flute in the School Orchestra of Austurbær from the age of 10-13 with Vilborg Jónsdóttir as conductor. Vera graduated from the Reykjavík Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts in 2016 with Harpa Harðardóttir and Hólmfríður Sigurðardóttir as teachers. Vera took part in the student’s production of L'Enfant et les Sortiléges by Ravel. In the winter of 2016-2017, Vera studied singing at the Reykjavík Music School (now MÍT) with Hlín Pétursdóttir. Vera has also participated in the Young People's Opera Academy in Harpa. She competed in the finals of Vox Domini in 2019 and 2020, a competition for young classical singers in Iceland. She graduated from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in the summer of 2020 with a bachelor's degree in singing. Her teachers were Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, Matthildur Anna Gísladóttir, Ólöf Kolbrún Harðardóttir, Kristinn Sigmundsson and Þóra Einarsdóttir. In the spring of the same year, Vera was the recipient of the Halldór Hansen Scholarship Fund. She took on one of five roles in Kornið, an opera by Birgit Djupedal which was performed at Opera Days in Reykjavík in 2018. Vera is a member of the Trill Trio which travels around the country and performs Icelandic popular songs from last century. She will continue her vocal studies abroad next fall.

Þórhildur Steinunn Kristinsdóttir is a mezzo-soprano born in 1998. She is currently studying classical singing at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria. In the spring of 2018, she received a scholarship from the Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson Memorial Fund for the 2018-2019 school year. Þórhildur won 1st place in her category in the classical singing competition Vox Domini in the spring of 2019. Þórhildur has participated in many student opera productions at Söngskólinn í Reykjavík, where she has sung one of the main roles in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss. In October 2018, Þórhildur participated in the opera festival Opera Days in Reykjavík where she sang in duet concerts in Árbæjarlaug and Sundhöll Reykjavíkur for guests of the swimming pools. In July of 2019, she participated in a Memorial concert in honor of Atli Heimir Sveinsson as part of the Hafnarborg Songfest. In the summer of 2020, Þórhildur was part of the music group Borgarblómin, which was one of the Art Groups of Hitt húsið in Reykjavík. Borgarblómin held many concerts around Reykjavík, for example in Harpa, Hallgrímskirkja, Árbæjarsafn and Ráðhús Reykjavíkur. In August of 2020, Þórhildur sang in a daytime concert in Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík with pianist Sigurður Helgi Oddsson. The concert was part of the concert series Á ljúfum nótum in Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík. This summer, Þórhildur will participate in the Mozarteum University production of Die Zauberflöte by W.A. Mozart.

Seigla festival is made by the Icelandic Schumann Society and is sponsored by Ýlir tónlistarsjóður, Styrktarsjóður SUT og Ruthar Hermanns, Tónlistarsjóður Rannís, Barnamenningarsjóður and Menningarsjóður FÍH.

Students, seniors and members of the Icelandic Schumann Society can get a discounted price at 3000 kr in Harpa's Box Office

Further information www.seiglafestival.com