Event info

Sigurður Sævarsson (b. 1963) studied singing at the Keflavík School of Music, in Iceland, with Árni Sighvatsson before moving to the New Music School in Reykjavík, where his teachers were Sigurður Demetz and Alina Dubik. In 1994, Sigurður commenced studies in singing and composition at Boston University in the USA, where his teachers included William Sharp, Charles Fussel, Sam Headrick and Martin Amlin. He gained his Masters Degree in both subjects in the Spring of 1997.

Hallgrímur Pétursson and the Psalms of the Passion
Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674) is one of Iceland’s chief poets. In the minds of many he is first and foremost a religious poet, although his secular poems are also important. Hallgrímur is notable amongst the other Icelandic psalm-poets in that his poetry has been sung and read more than any other and his most important work, the Psalms of the the Passion, has been sung and read by Icelanders during Lent for centuries. Even today, these meditations on Christ’s Passion are broadcast every day during Lent. The Psalms of the Passion have been published in Iceland more often than any other piece of writing – about eighty editions – and been translated into many languages.

More information on Hallgrímur's passion can be found HERE on the composer's website.