Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir (; born 8 August 1955), better known as Diddú (), is an Icelandic soprano and songwriter. Educated at the

Reykjavík College of Music The Reykjavík College of Music ( is, Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík) is an Icelandic conservatory of music that was founded in 1930 and is the oldest surviving college of music in the country.Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

in London, she began her singing career in the 1970s as a vocalist for the popular

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

and pop group Spilverk Þjóðanna. She subsequently turned to classical music, particularly '' Lieder'' and operas. Diddú's most recent album, ''Hvert Örstutt Spor'' (''Each Tiny Step''), was released in 2005.

Early life and education

The second of seven children of Hjálmtýr E. Hjálmtýsson, a bank clerk, and Margrét Matthíasdóttir, a writer, Diddú was born on 8 August 1955 and raised in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

. She studied at the Reykjavík College of Music, and afterwards at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

in London where she received a degree (1979–1984) and a postgraduate diploma (1985).Programme of ''An Evening at the Barbican Centre with Cortes : With a Very Special Guest Diddu; the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gardar Cortes'', Barbican Centre, London, 26 September 2007. She also had private singing lessons in Italy between 1987 and 1988.

Career

Diddú began her singing career as a vocalist with the

and pop group Spilverk Þjóðanna between 1975 and 1978 and made numerous recordings of folk and popular music, before turning her focus to classical music, particularly '' Lieder'' and operas. With the Icelandic Opera she has performed the parts of Susanna in '' The Marriage of Figaro'', Gilda in ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

'', Papagena and the Queen of the Night in ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'', Lucia in ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoo ...

'', Violetta in '' La traviata'', Adina in '' L'elisir d'amore'' and Rosalinda in ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

''. She was a guest singer as Susanna in ''The Marriage of Figaro'' in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, Norway, and as Gilda in ''Rigoletto'' in Gothenburg, Sweden (1992). In Icelandic. She has also sung the role of Olympia in ''

Les contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'' at the

National Theatre of Iceland The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) ( is, Þjóðleikhúsið, pronounced ) in Reykjavík, is the national theatre of Iceland. The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic directo ...

in Reykjavík. In 1994, Diddú appeared in ''Bíódagar'' (''Movie Days'') by Icelandic film director

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (born 12 May 1954; pronounced ), sometimes credited as Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, is an Icelandic film director and producer. Biography Fridriksson started his film making career with experimental films and documenta ...

, playing the mother of a young boy living in the 1950s who is engrossed with American movies. In 2001, Diddú performed at a special concert in Beijing, China, in the Forbidden City Concert Hall. The concert was held to commemorate 30 years of relations between Iceland and China. On 26 September 2007, Diddú was a special guest of

Garðar Thór Cortes Garðar Thór Cortes (pronounced , born 2 May 1974) is an Icelandic tenor of Icelandic and English parentage. A former child actor, Garðar subsequently trained as a singer in Vienna, Copenhagen and London. He has performed various leading tenor ...

at a concert at the Barbican Centre in London with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Cortes's father, Garðar Cortes. She performed "Il Bacio" ("The Kiss"), "Mein Herr Marquis" from Johann Strauss II's ''

'', the

cavatina Cavatina is a musical term, originally meaning a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition of the air. It is now frequently applied to any simple, melodious air, as distinguished from brilliant arias or recitatives ...

"Casta diva" from Bellini's ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

'', and "É strano... sempre libera" from

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''La traviata''; and sang in duet with Garðar Thór Cortes in " O soave fanciulla" from

Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...

'', in a duet from act 1, scene 5, of Verdi's ''Rigoletto'', and in " The Prayer" by

Carole Bayer Sager Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1947) is an American lyricist, singer, and songwriter. Early life and career Bayer Sager was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She grad ...

Personal life

Diddú's husband is musician Þorkell Jóelsson (born 28 May 1952). Her father, Hjálmtýr E. Hjálmtýsson (5 July 1933 – 12 September 2002), had roles in the Icelandic comedies ''Með allt á hreinu'' (''On Top'', 1982), ''Löggulíf'' (''A Policeman's Life'', 1985) and ''Karlakórinn Hekla'' (''The Men's Choir'', 1992).. Retrieved 1 November 2007. Diddú's youngest brother, Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, is a

pop singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, songwriter and disc jockey.

Selected works

Discography

*''Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir Sópran'' (1992) *''Töfrar'' (Magic, 1994) *''Jólastjarna'' (Christmas Star, 1997) *''Klassík'' (Classical, 1998) *''Ljós Og Skuggar'' (Light and Shadows, 2000) *''Óskastund'' (A Moment for a Wish, 2001) *''Fuglar Tímans'' (Birds of Time, 2003) *''Hvert Örstutt Spor'' (Each Tiny Step, 2005)

Notes

Sources

*
Diddú at 12 Tónar
Retrieved 30 October 2007.

External links

Diddú (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir) at the Church of Akureyri website
In Icelandic.
Diddú (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir) at the Félag Íslenska Leikara (Icelandic Actors Association) website
In Icelandic. *.
Diddú (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir) at the Íslenska óperan (Icelandic Opera) website
In Icelandic.
Diddú (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir) at the website of Salurinn concert hall in Kopavogur, Iceland
In Icelandic.
Diddú (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir) at Tónlist.is, an on-line portal for Icelandic music
In Icelandic.
Diddú at Tonlist.com, the English version of Tónlist.is

Diddú performing at the National Theatre of Iceland
broadcast on the US radio variety show '' A Prairie Home Companion'' with Garrison Keillor on 20 May 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Diddu Icelandic operatic sopranos 20th-century Icelandic actresses Reykjavík College of Music alumni Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 1955 births Living people Icelandic film actresses Knights of the Order of the Falcon