Haustjafndægur - Gunnar Andreas Kristinsson

Sóljafndægur is a concert series at Fríkirkjan in Reykjavík, where Heiða Árnadóttir performs works by Lilja María Ásmundsdóttir, Sunna Gunnlaugsdóttir, Gunnar Andreas Kristinsson and Ásbjörgu Jónsdóttur. The theme of the concerts is solstices and equinoxes, and the composers create works that intertwine with these themes.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

Further information at heidaarna.com

This concert is made possible with support from the Icelandic Music Fund (Tónlistarsjóður) and Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík.

Autumn Equinox — 23 September

Equinox — Gunnar Andreas Kristinsson — a work for soprano and viola

At the autumn equinox, daylight and darkness share the day equally. At this turning point, we look back and recall the sunny days of summer, while also looking ahead to autumn and winter and preparing ourselves for the darkness that lies ahead. Light often brings joy and playfulness, while darkness brings greater calm and peace.

At the autumn equinox, both people and nature gradually prepare to enter a state of dormancy. Life nevertheless continues during this period of rest, although its priorities change. Darkness can contain an element of anxiety, which we are usually able to keep at bay by seeking strength within ourselves and in our surroundings. Music can, for example, illuminate the darkness and provide spiritual strength. Its power is immense.

In Equinox, I will use selected texts and excerpts from Icelandic literature—texts that address this season, the struggle between light and darkness, summer as a memory, autumn as the present, and winter as the immediate future. At the same time, the voice will also sing wordless poetry, transforming into an instrument that expresses emotions in a way similar to the viola.

It is a great advantage to write a work for musicians such as Heiða and Guðrún Hrund, who have worked extensively together in recent years and know each other’s playing very well. I will draw on their experience and seek to create a sound world with which they feel a strong connection. At the same time, I will challenge them, to some extent, to explore new paths and perhaps venture slightly beyond their comfort zones.

The vocal cords are, in fact, two human strings that vibrate inside the larynx as air passes through them, while the body acts as a kind of resonating chamber. The viola, on the other hand, has four steel strings attached to a streamlined wooden body and played with horsehair. I will explore the common ground between these two “instruments” in terms of sound production.

Recently, I have been working with the overtone series and its mirror image, the undertone series. The overtone series is bright and luminous, while the undertone series is dark and deep. In Equinox, which will be approximately 15–20 minutes in length, I will bring these contrasts into dialogue.

About the composer:

Gunnar Andreas Kristinsson studied composition at the Reykjavík College of Music from 1997–2001 under the guidance of Kjartan Ólafsson and Atli Heimir Sveinsson. He then continued his studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where he completed a master’s degree in composition in 2004. After graduating, Gunnar worked as a freelance composer in the Netherlands, while also participating in various professional development courses. After returning to Iceland at the end of 2009, he worked for several years as a part-time lecturer at the Iceland University of the Arts. In recent years, however, composition has been his primary occupation.

Gunnar has written works in a wide range of genres, from solo pieces to orchestral works, which have been performed by renowned musicians and ensembles at music festivals both in Iceland and abroad. Three of his works have been nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards: the orchestral work Gangverk englanna in 2013, the string quartet Moonbowin 2017, and Piano Concerto in 2024. Gunnar’s first album, Patterns, received the Kraumur Music Awards in 2013. His second album, Moonbow, was released by the American label Sono Luminus in 2021. The album received critical acclaim internationally and was, among other distinctions, included on the longlist for the Grammy Awards.

Gunnar had a number of projects underway in 2025. In March, Catalysis 2 for computer-controlled organ was premiered at Hallgrímskirkja. In April, the saxophone quartet Reflections was premiered by sonic.art in Berlin. In May, Catalysis 1for computer-controlled organ was premiered at Reykjavík’s Free Church, while a new version of Búkolla – A Musical Fairy Tale was premiered by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in three school concerts at Harpa.

In November 2025, a chamber ensemble performed the original version of Búkolla several times during school visits in West Iceland. A new clarinet quintet (clarinet and string quartet) was premiered by Grímur Helgason and Caput at Dark Music Days in January 2026. The work dolce inversione for computer-controlled organ was premiered at Hallgrímskirkja in February 2026.

Gunnar was selected from a large number of applicants for the Nordic residency at Circolo Scandinavo in Rome, where he stayed in December and January.

About the performer:

Guðrún Hrund Harðardóttir is a versatile musician with a passionate interest in both new and early music. She loves performing with others in large and small ensembles, as well as occasionally performing solo, creating magical sounds by bowing the steel strings of her modern viola and the gut strings of her baroque viola.

She is an accomplished sight-reader and enjoys interpreting complex rhythms, as well as improvising and lingering in the tension of dissonant harmonies before they gently resolve into pure and harmonious intervals. She loves the clarity and humour of Mozart’s music, while Bach is her spiritual companion in both joy and sorrow.

Guðrún Hrund pursued advanced musical studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln from 1995–2000 and at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague from 2002–2006, specialising in baroque viola and historically informed performance practice. She subsequently undertook a master’s degree in arts education at the Iceland University of the Arts.

Guðrún Hrund has been a permanent viola player with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra since 2010, performing with the orchestra in most of its concerts at Harpa and regularly taking part in live concert broadcasts on television and radio. In recent years she has participated in concert tours to Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria, and has recorded numerous CDs with the orchestra.

She regularly performs with the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, whose repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music. She also served as the orchestra’s artistic director and managing director from 2010–2014.

Guðrún has a passionate interest in children’s culture and has organised and performed in numerous concerts as part of the Reykjavík Children’s Culture Festival, including performances with the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra and Nordic Affect. She is the curator of the Krakkamengi concert series at Mengi on Óðinsgata in Reykjavík.

Guðrún Hrund is a violist with the Baroque Orchestra Brák and the International Baroque Orchestra of The Hague/Reykjavík. She served as the orchestra’s managing director from 2005–2012 and organised its concerts in Iceland in collaboration with the Reykjavík Arts Society (formerly the Hallgrímskirkja Arts Society).

She performed with the ensemble Nordic Affect at concerts in numerous countries between 2008 and 2018, including Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the United States, and recorded three albums for the American label Sono Luminus.

Guðrún Hrund was also a member of the Icelandic String Octet, which performed with Björk on the album Homogenicand subsequently toured Europe, the United States, South America and Japan. She also performed with Björk and a string ensemble on the album Vulnicura, released in 2015, and at several concerts that followed.

About the performer:

Heiða Árnadóttir has focused her career on the performance of modern music, folk, jazz, experimental works, and lied music. Heiða completed her Master's degree in classical singing at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In addition to numerous concerts in Iceland, where she has premiered various compositions with Ensemble Adapter and Caput, Heiða has also performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, India, Sweden, and Denmark.

Her performances include appearances at Nordic Music Days, Iceland Airwaves, Skálholt Summer Festival, Siglufjörður Folk Festival, Reykjavík Jazz Festival, and various international festivals such as WOMEX in Copenhagen.

Heiða was nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards in the category of "Classical Singer of the Year" in both 2020 and 2022. In 2024, she received "Singer of the Year" at Gríman, the Iceland Performing Arts Awards for her performance in the opera/poetic tale "MÖRSUGUR."

Heiða has composed songs and lyrics and is the vocalist for the band Mógil, which has released five CDs. From 2020 to 2023, Heiða served as the artist-in-residence for the modern music festival "Dark Music Days".

Additionally, Heiða released a CD and vinyl titled "Tunglið og ég," featuring the music of French composer Michel Legrand, with lyrics in Icelandic, accompanied by pianist Gunnar Gunnarsson.