Gudrun Olafsdottir

Mezzo soprano

The Icelandic mezzo-soprano GUDRUN OLAFSDOTTIR began her vocal studies with Rut Magnusson in Iceland. She completed a Master of Music degree and the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, studying with Professor Laura Sarti. She then furthered her studies with mezzo-soprano Alicia Nafe in Madrid.

Gudrun has won numerous prizes for her singing, including the Joaquin Rodrigo Prize in Madrid, the Lieder Prize in the Zamora International Singing Competition in Spain and the Kathleen Ferrier Song Prize at the Wigmore Hall in London. She has sung the title role in Montsalvatge’s opera El Gato con Botas for Teatro Real in Madrid. Other operatic roles include Cenerentola, Dorabella, Rosina, Arbace, Joacim, Magdelone, Lazuli, Prince Orlowsky, Mozart?s Sesto, Carmen and Der Komponist.

Gudrun has a special affinity to art songs and has performed in concerts in the U.K., Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Luxembourg, the Faroe Islands, Malta, Italy, Bulgaria, Belgium, Holland, Russia and Spain. She has offered world premieres of new works by composers of different nationalities, who have composed their works especially for her. She has performed with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Bach Ensemble, the Isafold Chamber Orchestra, Schola Camerata, Sonor Ensemble, the Symphony Orchestras of La Mancha and Albacete, Nordic Affect, Caput, La Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid and the Philharmonia Orchestra in such halls as Bozar’s Henry le Boeuf Hall in Brussels, the St. Petersburg Philharmonia’s Glinka Hall and the Royal Festival Hall in London.

12 tonar has released two solo albums featuring Gudrun’s singing: Grieg-Schumann with pianist Vikingur H. Olafsson and Mine is Yours – Icelandic and Spanish Songs with classical guitarist Francisco Javier Jauregui.