Event info

The Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra premieres four pieces written by the Icelandic and Swedish composers Haukur Tómasson, Jörgen Hall, Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir and Veronique Vaka.

Programme
* Catena, for Chamber orchestra by Haukur Tómasson
* Drifting light for Chamber Orchestra and visuals by Jörgen Hall (1986), Sweden (world premiere)
* Nýtt verk by Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir (1965) (world premiere)
* Vanascere (2021) by Veronique Vaka (1986) (world premiere)
Soloist: Þórunn Ósk Marínósdóttir

Performers
Þórunn Ósk Marinósdóttir is the principal violist of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of Siggi String Quartet which has been a recipient of The Icelandic Music Award. Born and raised in Akureyri, she later studied viola at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels with Mr. Ervin Schiffer. In Belgium she was the principal viola of the chamber orchestra Prima la Musica and for a period a member of the soloist ensemble I Fiamminghi. Alongside her job at the Symphony, Þórunn performs widely in chamber music,including playing in chamber music recordings, mostly for the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra. She is a regular guest at chamber music festivals in Iceland including Reykholt Music Festival and Reykjavik Midsummer Music. Her recordings of music by Hafliði Hallgrímsson; Ombra viola concerto with the Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra and Notes from a Diary for viola and piano have been published by the Bad taste record company. Þórunn has performed as a soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, Prima la Musica and Sumida Triphony Hall Orchestra in Tokyo. Since 2021 Þórunn and her husband were appointed co-Artistic Director’s of the Reykholt Music Festival. She teaches viola and chamber music at the Reykjavík College of Music and Icelandic University of the Arts.

Composers
Veronique Vaka, born in 1986, is a composer based in the southern region of Iceland. She studied classical cello performance at Vincent-d’Indy, and continued her studies in electro-acoustic composition at the University of Montreal and completed a masters degree in music composition from the Iceland University of the Arts. Her orchestral work Lendh was nominated for The Icelandic Music Awards 2020 - Composition of the year, and for the Nordic Council Music Prize 2020. Veronique took a step towards a more abstract approach to her music when she started her research: From Landscape to Music Notation. The intention of her work is to create a poetic context between what she sees, hears and feels in the unspoiled nature, and combine it into a musical composition. Her composition style can be described as organic, with an emphasis on small details such as rhythmic, textural, and timbral elements. Veronique has composed various works for chamber orchestra, symphony orchestra, voice using the poetry of Steinunn A. Stefánsdóttir, a violin concerto for Una Sveinbjarnardóttir, premiered with Caput Ensemble in 2020, to name a few. Her works have been performed during Tónlistarhátíð Rásar 1 (2020), Myrkir Músíkdagar/ Dark Music Days (2018, 2019, 2020) and Sumartónleikar í Skálholti (2018). Among upcoming projects is the premiere of Gemæltan, for solo cello and orchestra, written for Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir and a viola concerto for Þórunn Ósk Marinósdóttir and Kammersveit Reykjavíkur.

Dr. Mirian Khukhunaishvili is a co-founder, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tbilisi Youth Orchestra, a Founder and Artistic Director for the Alter Orchestra. Mirian earned his doctoral and masters degrees in orchestral conducting at the Academy of Music in Krakow (under the supervision of prof. Stanislaw Krawczynski). He also got a master’s degree from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire in choral conducting with Professor Liana Chonishvili). Mirian’s collaborations have included conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, Podkarpacka Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre’s Orchestra, Georgian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Tbilisi State Orchestra, Tbilisi State Chamber Orchestra – Georgian Sinfonietta, amongst others.

Jörgen Hall is a Swedish composer from northern Sweden. He takes inspiration from Nature's inherent organic randomness in shaping his sonic landscapes, where he lets "nature take its course”. He is interested in the view of time as a psychological dimension, which we cannot perceive in full, since we can be said to exist inside it. This, in combination with an interest for eastern philosophy has led him to adopt the Chinese proverb, "Don’t push the river, it flows by itself", as his artistic motto. His output includes chamber, orchestral music as well as electroacoustic and audiovisual works. His music has been performed in the US, Europe, and Asia.