Ásgerður Júníusdóttir (born 26 September 1968) is an Icelandic singer,

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

, and performer who has performed on stage and released music in Iceland and abroad.

Biography

Ásgerður Júníusdóttir, mezzo-soprano, has appeared as a singer and actress in Iceland and abroad. In her career she has focused on 20th- and 21st-century Icelandic music and premiered works by contemporary composers, including

Jórunn Viðar Jórunn Viðar (7 December 1918 – 27 February 2017) was an Icelanders, Icelandic pianist and composer. Biography Jórunn Viðar was born and grew up in Reykjavík, Iceland. In 1937 she graduated from Reykjavík Grammar School, and the same ...

Atli Heimir Sveinsson Atli Heimir Sveinsson (21 September 1938 – 20 April 2019) was an Icelandic composer. Atli Heimir was born in Reykjavík, Iceland and started piano lessons at the age of 10. He studied piano with Rögnvaldur Sigurjónsson at the Reykjavík Coll ...

Haukur Tómasson Haukur Tómasson (born 9 January 1960) is an Icelandic composer. He has a master's degree from the University of California, San Diego. He has also attended the Reykjavík College of Music, the Hochschule für Musik Köln, Cologne University for ...

, Karólína Eiríksdóttir, and Ragnhildur Gísladóttir, as well as worked with different music ensembles such as the English

Brodsky Quartet The Brodsky Quartet is a British string quartet, formed in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, in 1972 as the "Cleveland Quartet", and subsequently named for Russian violinist Adolph Brodsky. Ian Belton and Jacqueline Thomas are original members, ...

. She has released three CDs on the Smekkleysa label. Her first two Minn heimur og þinn (Tapestry of dreams, 2001), which contains songs and poems by Icelandic women and Í rökkri (At Twilight, 2006), containing songs by

Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson (8 September 1925 - 1 January 2005) was an Icelandic composer, pianist and conductor. Jóhannsson studied with Franz Mixa and Victor Urbancic at the Reykjavík College of Music (1935–7, 1939–45) and with Bernard ...

, were both nominated for the Icelandic Music Award. Her latest CD, Langt fyrir utan ystu skóga (Far Beyond the Remotest Forests), with songs by

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Guðmundsdóttir, Gunnar Reynir Sveinsson and Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson was released in the summer of 2011. Among the parts that Ásgerður has sung on stage are those of

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...

's opera of the same name at the

Reykjavík City Theatre The Reykjavík City Theatre (RCT) ( ) is a theatre in Reykjavík, Iceland. History In 1989, after ninety years of performing in a small wooden building in the city centre, the company inaugurated a new theatre building adjacent to the Kringla ...

(2006), Magnus-Maria (2014) and Skuggaleikur (Play of Shadows, 2006) by Karólína Eiríksdóttir and

Sjón image:Sjon litteratureXchange-2019 DSC09264.jpg, 260px, Sjón at LiteratureXchange Festival ín Aarhus (Denmark 2019) Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born 27 August 1962), known as Sjón ( ; ; meaning "sight" and being an abbreviation of his firs ...

, and Wide Slumber by

Valgeir Sigurðsson Valgeir Sigurðsson (born 18 June 1971) is an Icelandic record producer, mixer, composer, audio engineer and musician. Biography Coming from a musical background, Valgeir's fascination with recording technology led to a job in a small recordin ...

(2014). She has also acted and sung in the mono-opera The Medium (2009) by sir

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

and appeared as actress in the theatre productions Common Nonsense (2004) and Ball of Yarn (2009). In the summer of 2011 she took part in "Your Country Does Not Exist" by Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson, Iceland's official Icelandic contribution to the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

, performing a political statement on a gondola sailing Venice. Ásgerður worked as

Bill Skarsgård Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (; born 9 August 1990) is a Swedish actor. He is known for portraying Pennywise in the horror films '' It'' (2017) and ''It Chapter Two'' (2019). Other horror appearances were in the series '' Hemlock Grove'' (2 ...

's vocal coach for his role as

Count Orlok Count Orlok (; ; ) is a fictional character who first appeared in the silent film ''Nosferatu'' (1922) directed by F. W. Murnau. Based on Bram Stoker's Count Dracula, he is played by German actor Max Schreck, and is depicted as a repulsive va ...

in the 2024 film ''

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...

''.

Works

Discography

* ''Minn heimur og þinn'' Songs and poems by Icelandic women ("Tapestry of Dreams", Smekkleysa, 2001) * ''Í rökkri'' Songs by Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson ("At Twilight", Smekkleysa, 2006) * ''Langt fyrir utan ystu skóga'' Songs by Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Gunnar Reynir Sveinsson, Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson ("Far Beyond the Remotest Forests", Smekkleysa, 2011) * ''Séð frá tungli'' Songs by Jórunn Viðar, with arrangements and performances infused with the

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

music the composer was influenced by during her years of study in Berlin and New York. ("See from the Moon, Smekkleysa, December 2023.)

Stage

* ''Common Nonsense'', a play by John Wright and the troupe (Reykjavík City Theatre, 2003) * ''Guðrúns 4th Song'', an opera by Haukur Tómasson (Båstad Chamber Music Festival, 2005) * ''Carmen'', an opera by Georges Bizet (Reykjavik City Theatre, 2006) * ''Madonna Furiosa'', an opera by

Bertil Palmar Johansen Bertil Palmar Johansen (born 18 February 1954) is a Norway, Norwegian contemporary composer and violinist. Johansen was born in Brattvåg. He studied violin at the Trøndelag Music Conservatory (today the Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Unive ...

(The Nordic House, Reykjavík, 2006) * ''Skuggaleikur'', an opera by Karólína Eiríksdóttir (The Icelandic Opera, Reykjavík 2006) * ''The Medium'', an opera by Peter Maxwell Davies (The

Reykjavík Arts Festival The Reykjavík Arts Festival is an art festival that takes place in Reykjavík every other year. It was founded in 1970 and was biennial from the beginning, but in the years 2005–2016 it was held annually. Since 2016, the festival has again beco ...

, Reykjavík 2009) * ''Hnykill'', a site specific play by Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir and the troupe. (Norðurpóllinn, Reykjavík 2009) * ''Lange Nacht der Opera'' an installation of three works at the

Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The V ...

(Berlin, 2011) * ''Wide Slumber'' an opera by Valgeir Sigurðsson (The Reykjavík Arts Festival, Reykjavík 2014) * ''Magnus Maria: An opera about the right gender'', an opera by Karólína Eiríksdóttir (Mariehamn, 2014)

Contributions

* ''Svo á jörðu sem á himni'', "

As in Heaven ''As in Heaven'' () is a 1992 Icelandic drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually quali ...

" soundtrack by

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association"). Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...

to the film by Kristín Jóhannesdóttir. * ''Glands'', a song on the album "Hi-Camp meets Lo-fi" by Dip (

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

Sigtryggur Baldursson Sigtryggur Baldursson (born 2 October 1962) is an Icelandic drummer and singer. Sigtryggur was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. He was a founding member of the Sugarcubes and has been a longtime fixture on the Icelandic punk and alternat ...

). * ''Sense of Reason'', a song on the album "In Cod We Trust" by Ghostigital (

Einar Örn Benediktsson Einar Örn Benediktsson (born 29 October 1962), often billed as Einar Örn, is an Icelandic popular music singer and trumpet player. He was a member of the Sugarcubes. He served as a member of the Reykjavík City Council between 2010 and 2014 ...

Curver Curver Thoroddsen is an Icelandic artist/musician, born in 1976. He is a member of the duo Ghostigital along with Einar Örn Benediktsson, a former member of The Sugarcubes. He created the remix of Sigur Rós's 18 sekúndur fyrir sólarupprá ...

). * ''Les mystères du Snæfellsjökull'', the song "Aria" by Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson features in the soundtrack of the documentary by Jean-Michel Roux. * ''Litlu börnin leika sér'' and ''Kindur jarma í kofunum'', two children songs on the album "Hvað á að gera?" by Margrét Örnólfsdóttir. * ''Motorlab #2'' A compilation from the

Kitchen Motors Kitchen Motors is an Iceland based think tank, record label and an art collective specializing in instigating collaborations and putting on concerts, exhibitions, performances, chamber operas, producing films, books and radio shows. Kitchen Motor ...

events in Reykjavík. Ásgerður Júníusdóttir sings in excerpts from the chamber opera Kisa by

Múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in ...

and Sjón.

References

External links

Official YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juniusdottir, Asgerdur 1968 births

Ásgerður Júníusdóttir Ásgerður Júníusdóttir (born 26 September 1968) is an Icelandic singer, mezzo-soprano, and performer who has performed on stage and released music in Iceland and abroad. Biography Ásgerður Júníusdóttir, mezzo-soprano, has appeared ...

Living people