Francesco Rista is a classical guitarist and composer. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Italy, he completed a Master’s degree and Soloist Diploma at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, followed by a second Master’s degree at Lund University with Göran Söllscher. During his career, he has collaborated with several contemporary composers and premiered works including Oliver Davis’ Guitar Concerto, alongside compositions by Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart, Nick Martin, Finnur Karlsson, and others. His recordings have been reviewed by important magazines such as Psychedelic Baby and 15 Questions, while his albums have been broadcast on BBC Music and Rai Radio 3. After recording his third solo album, he founded his own record label, Fresh Ribes, based in Iceland, where he supports and publishes the work of emerging artists. In 2024, he received scholarships from De Sono Associazione per la Musica in Italy and from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien).
Día is a music and primary school teacher specializing in early childhood education, with many years of experience in teaching music to young children. After completing Level 8 in vocal performance at Söngskólinn í Reykjavík in 1999, she moved to England, where she lived and worked for 23 years. In England, she took vocal lessons with Sandra Dugdale at the RNCM in Manchester and completed a postgraduate diploma from the London College of Music. She was a very active participant in productions, concerts, and events both as a soloist and in choirs in her hometown of Chester. Día has attended numerous courses related to early childhood music education. She moved back to Iceland in 2022 and also works as a preschool music teacher at Listaskóli Mosfellsbæjar.
Þorgrímur has a broad musical background rooted both in jazz guitar playing and a Bachelor degree in Creative Music Communications from the Iceland University of the Arts. Þorgrímur went on to complete further studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen and graduated from the RDAM Tonmeister department in 2020. In recent years, Þorgrímur has worked independently as a Tonmeister and sound engineer, alongside teaching guitar and sound production.
Born in 1995, Hjalti Þór Davíðsson has been immersed in music from an early age. Beginning with saxophone and classical voice, he later discovered the piano at 19 and, two years later, was admitted to the Iceland University of the Arts to pursue classical piano studies. Under the mentorship of Kristján Karl Bragason, Peter Máté, and Edda Erlends, he completed his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2021. Alongside his piano studies, he studied composition with Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir.
As a performer, Hjalti has appeared on stages across Europe, including Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, a festival in Corsica, and Iceland’s Harpa Concert Hall, both as a soloist and a sought-after accompanist. In addition to his performing career, he has taught at various music schools and contributed to numerous artistic projects as both an instrumentalist and composer.
Hjalti’s creative work has been recognized with multiple grants and commissions. He received support from Rannís for his project “Queerness on the Opera Stage”, as well as from the RÚV & STEF Composers’ Fund to create new song settings of poetry by Kristján Jónsson, the “Mountain Poet.” Further grants include support from the City of Reykjavík to present concerts during Opera Days, and from Verðandi – the Cultural Society of Akureyri (MAK).
Halldór has taught the accordion for over 10 years, both in Akranes and the Capital Region. He studied with Guðmundur Samúelsson in Grafarvogur Music School and received an advanced diploma in 2012. Halldór has played with the Accordion Quintet in Reykjavík (Harmónikukvintettinum í Reykjavík) and has played in Nótan and Siglufjörður Folk Music Festival.
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.
The Spanish guitar player and composer Francisco Javier Jáuregui studied classical guitar in Los Angeles and Madrid before he graduated with a Master’s Degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Javier has performed in concerts both as a soloist and as a chamber musician around Europe, the United States, Africa and Southeast Asia. He has performed guitar concertos by Vivaldi and Rodrigo as well as other works with symphony orchestras and regularly performs with other musicians. Javier has played on numerous recordings and CDs. He has taught guitar from 1997, including in London and Madrid, and has given lectures at universities in Spain and the United States. From 2002-2019, he participated in annual music projects with over a hundred schools organized by Wigmore Hall in London. Javier is one of the founders and directors of the Festival Internacional de Música de Navarra (FIMNa) in Spain and the Hafnarborg Songfest (Sönghátíð í Hafnarborg).
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.
Auður graduated with a diploma from the Reykjavík School of Singing in 2001. She completed a postgraduate degree in Voice from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow in 2003. She graduated with a LRSM degree in Voice Pedagogy from the Reykjavík School of Singing in 2005 and received a M.Ed.Art. from The Icelandic University of the Arts in 2017. Auður has performed at numerous concerts in Iceland and abroad, including symphonies, oratorios, opera performances, and jazz concerts, both as a soloist and as a part of a larger group. For many years she has sung in choirs such as Schola Cantorum, Barbörukórinn and Cantoque Ensemble. After completing her master’s degree, Auður published a songbook for children, Tónlistin er þín (The Music is Yours). She works as a composer, singer, children’s choir director and voice teacher.
Matthías Stefánsson began studying the violin at the age of 5 in Akureyri. He received a diploma from the Reykjavík College of Music as well as studying the guitar at FÍH Music School. Matthías has been working as a musician since 2002, in addition to teaching violin and guitar. Matthías has played on over 150 albums and has collaborated with most of Iceland’s most well-known musicians. He has participated in numerous plays/musicals and concert performances, and has worked as a musician at the National Theatre, City Theatre, Icelandic Opera, Iceland Dance Company, the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Matthías has composed and arranged music for artists, and he has also had two songs reached the finals of the Icelandic selection for Eurovision.
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.
Edda has a bachelor’s degree, LRAM voice teaching diploma and a postgraduate diploma from the Royal Academy of Music, and a Master of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She later obtained a master’s degree in Marketing and International Business from the University of Iceland and a diploma in Arts Education from the Iceland University of the Arts. Edda has been involved in book and music publishing, productions, project management for music projects, including at Harpa Concert Hall, where she also worked as a marketing manager. She has also worked as a music teacher and a choir director. Edda regulary sings solos at church and with chamber choirs. Edda her sung with the Icelandic Opera, Zurich Opera and Garsington Opera, and has performed in England, Scotland, Switzerland, Spain and Germany. Edda served as the assistant principal at the music school from 2022 and became the principal in the spring of 2023.
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.
Auður completed her soloist certification from the Reykjavík College of Music. She has a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, where her teachers were the renowned couple Almita and Roland Vamos. Auður has appeared both as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and China. Auður has played on numerous CD recordings both in Iceland and abroad and has received excellent reviews for her performances. Many of Auður’s students have won awards and are studying at music conservatories abroad.
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.
