Piano

Petia was born in Bulgaria where she began studying the piano at the age of 5. She then came to Iceland where she studied with Snorri Sigfús Birgisson at Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík. Petia was a scholarship recipient at the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California before she went on to study at the San Francisco Conservatory where she got a degree in music. In California, she played chamber music as well as performing in churches. She then moved back to Bulgaria where she played chamber music. Petia has been teaching in Iceland for about 20 years.

Jónas Sen is an Icelandic pianist, music critic and journalist with a diverse background. Jónas studied piano in Paris with Monique Deschaussées. He received a master’s degree in Music Performance Studies from the City University in London. He also has a master’s degree in Arts Management from the University of Bifröst. He has performed as a soloist in addition to working as a music critic. One of his most memorable projects is when he played piano on tours with Björk and took part in various musical projects with her. Jónas has also hosted many TV programs about music with well-known musicians. He is respected for his versatility and sharp analysis of music, which has had a significant impact on Icelandic cultural life. Jónas has taught piano since 1987.

Yang was born and raised in California and has made a notable impact on Iceland’s music scene in recent years as one of the country’s most interesting pianists after moving to Patreksfjörður a few years ago. Yang is the founder and artistic director of the Iceland Piano Festival and the International Westjords Piano Festival. He has performed in concerts throughout Europe, the United States and Asia and has won numerous awards for his piano playing. Yang graduated with a B.A. in Economics and a B.M. in Piano Performance from Northwestern University. He graduated with a M.M. in Piano Performance from the Mannes School of Music and then spent three years as a D.M.A. student at USC Thornton School of Music.

Antonía Hevesi was born in Hungary and graduated from the Liszt’s Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest with an M.A. in Choral Conducting  where she also received a diploma in High School Education for Voice and Tonal Harmony. She also studied the organ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz with Otto Bruckner. She has performed as an organist and pianist around Europe and Canada. She has participated in masterclasses in piano accompaniment and singing and has recorded CDs. From August 2002, Antonía has been the artistic director and pianist for the lunch concert series at Hafnarborg, and she has also performed at most of the Icelandic Opera’s lunch concerts since 2009. She was one of the founders of the Óp-hópur. In recent years, she has participated in close to 40 opera productions with Norðuróp, Litlu óperukompaníi, Óp-hópnum and the Icelandic Opera.

Katrin comes from Kiel, Germany. She studied the flute, with piano as a secondary instrument, at the University of Music in Detmold. She has a degree in music from the Berlin University of the Arts and in German Literature and Education from the Humboldt University of Berlin. Since 1995, Katrin has worked freelance as a teacher and flutist in various orchestras and chamber groups in Germany, England and Iceland. Since 2013, Katrin has been training the woodwind players at an orchestra camp in Wies, Germany. Katrin was the founding member of the flute quintet Sussex Flutes. Katrin plays first flute with the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra in numerous concerts and recordings, and she has also performed in various chamber music concerts in Reykjavík.

Victoria Tarevskaia is from Moldova, where she studied at the Music School in Moldova and the N.A. Rimsky Korsakov St. Petersburgh Conservatory. She graduated with a master’s degree in Cello Performance from the G. Musicescu Academy of Music in Chisinau in 1994. Victoria played with the Moldavian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and SinfoniaNord as well as various chamber groups. Victoria has worked as a cello teacher and as an extra at the Iceland Symphony Orchestra since 1999.

Kristófer is a music teacher and musician from Reykjavík. In 2009, he received a diploma in Electric Guitar from the FÍH Music School. He then went directly to the Iceland University of the Arts where he completed his studies in Rhythmic Vocal and Instrumental Education 2001. Kristófer has also completed studies in Audio Engineering. Kristófer’s main instrument is the electric guitar but he has also studied the piano.

Arndís Björk completed her piano teacher certification and a diploma in Piano Performance from the Reykjavík College of Music. After that, she went to Prague, where she pursued advanced studies in Piano Performance. Arndís began teaching the piano in 1997 and that same year she began working at the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV), where she first worked as a music critic but later created music programs of various types. She was, among other things, the main producer of live broadcast from concerts of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for several years. Arndís has served on the board of the Icelandic branch of EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) and has also worked as a music critic for local newspapers. She was also the chair of the music fund of the Ministry of Education and worked as a project manager for various music festivals, such as the Reykholt Festival, the Reykjavík Arts Festival and Reykjavík Midsummer Music.

Hafdís Kristinsdóttir studied piano at the Music School in Borgarfjörður, the Music School in Akranes, and the Sigursveinn Music School. She completed her music education teacher certification from the Reykjavík College of Music in 1983 and her piano teacher certification from the Sigursveinn Music School in 1996. Hafdís has been teaching piano, with short breaks, since 1978.

Sævar works as a composer, teacher and pianist. He began his music studied in Reykjanesbær Music School and FÍH before he went to the Iceland Academy of the Arts where he received a B.A. in Composition and he also studied the piano. After graduating, Sævar worked on various projects in addition to teaching. This included composing music for theatre productions and short films, doing music projects with people in rehabilitation (Metamorphonics and Korda Samfonia). He has also released albums featuring his own music. Sævar composed the music to the short film Weather Rules the Field, but Whim the Child, which was screened at the film festivals Shortshorts & Asia in Tokyo and RIFF in Reykjavík in 2024. In addition to teaching, Sævar is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Composition at the Iceland Academy of the Arts.