Hafdís Bjarnadóttir (born 1977) is an Icelandic composer and electric guitarist who gained prominence in 2013 when she was inspired by a knitting pattern for a lace shawl to compose "Thordis’ Fichu".[1][2] She received wide acclaim in 2015 for her "Sounds of Iceland", a journey through Iceland made up of a series of field recordings of the natural sounds of waterfalls, birds, lakes, the sea and geysers.[3][4]

Biography

Born in Reykjavík on 17 August 1977, Hafdís Bjarnadóttir has played the electric guitar since she was 12, initially concentrating on rock and folk music. She qualified in jazz guitar playing at the Icelandic school of music, Tónlistarskóli FÍH, in 2002. In 2007, she earned a bachelor's degree at the Iceland Academy of the Arts before completing a master's degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2009.[5]

Hafdís' music has drawn on a combination of jazz, rock and folk, as well as classical and modern music. She often composes items involving surprisingly different instruments.[1] She has recorded two solo albums and has written commissioned pieces for solo instruments and ensembles. Her album JÆJA (2009) was nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards. In 2013, she composed "Á báðum áttum for flute, clarinet and percussion, and Jólastökur, a choral work commissioned by the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service for Christmas 2013.[6] "Thordis' Fichu" and "Sounds of Iceland" followed in 2013 and 2015.[2][4]

In 2017, for Musica nova Helsinki she composed "Wind Roses", inspired by Iceland's wind roses which are used to measure wind direction. The piece combined piano, bass, flute, clarinet and cello.[7]

Hafdís Bjarnadóttir composed "A Northern Year" for Passepartout Duo in 2019, a piece that chronicles the sun's position over Reykjavík during the year through scientific data that is used in the composition process.[8]

Discography

  • Nú (2002)[8]
  • JÆJA (2009)[6]
  • Sounds of Iceland (2015)[4]
  • Já (2017)[9]
  • A Northern Year (2019)[8]
  • Lighthouse (2020)[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hafdís Bjarnadóttir" (in Icelandic). Ísmus. 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 Shilling, Jane (1 April 2013). "Icelandic composer uses knitting pattern to write score". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Meller Cohen, Gonçalo. "Islandshljóđ".
  4. 1 2 3 Allen, Richard (11 May 2015). "Hafdís Bjarnadóttir ~ Sounds of Iceland". A closer listen.
  5. ↑ "Hafdís Bjarnadóttir". Iceland Music. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Hafdís Bjarnadóttir" (PDF). Københavns Kommune. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Cook, Amanda (16 February 2017). "Musica nova Helsinki 2017 Draws New Audiences at G LiveLab". I care if you lister. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Fontaine, Andy (2019-06-27). "Sounds From The Quiet Place: Composer Hafdís Bjarnadóttir Sees Music In Everything". The Reykjavik Grapevine. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  9. ↑ Smith, Steve. "Best of 2017: Noteworthy Recordings". National Sawdust Log. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  10. ↑ "Lighthouse by Parallax+Bjarnadóttir". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2021-12-22.


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