Ólavur Jakobsen (born 1964), is a

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

ist. He was born in

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of th ...

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

, and studied at the

Royal Danish Academy of Music The Royal Danish Academy of Music, or Royal Danish Conservatory of Music (), in Copenhagen is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest, with approximately 400 students. It was established in 186 ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

with Ingolf Olsen, where he received his masters diploma in 1995. Further studies in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with French guitarist Roland Dyens. Has participated in masterclasses with e.g. Sir Julian Bream and David Russell. Olavur Jakobsen is the first Faroese classical guitarist to hold a master's degree and also to perform at a professional level. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has toured extensively all over Europe, South Africa and the United States. He is a former member of the Copenhagen-based Corona Guita Quartet He has premièred a vast number of compositions by e.g.

Per Nørgård Per Nørgård (; 13 July 1932 – 28 May 2025) was a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style varied considerably throughout his career, his music often included repeatedly evolving melodies, in the vein of Jean Sibelius, and a per ...

, Axel Borup-Jørgensen, Pierre Dørge,

Sunleif Rasmussen Sunleif Rasmussen (born March 19, 1961) is one of the foremost Faroese composers of classical music. Biography Rasmussen was born in Sandur in the Faroe Islands. He studied in Norway, then returned to Tórshavn in the Faroes as a music teacher ...

, Edvard Nyholm Debess, Kári Bæk,

Tróndur Bogason Tróndur Bogason (born 5 April 1976 as Tróndur Bogason Hansen) is a Faroese composer and musician. He composes classical works, but he also arranges music for pop, rock and folk artists. He is married to the Faroese singer Eivør Pálsdóttir w ...

and

Kristian Blak Kristian Blak (born 1947) is a Danish composer, musician, and record executive based in the Faroe Islands. Early life Kristian Blak was born in Jutland, Denmark, in 1947. He moved to the Faroe Islands in 1974, where he has written most of his ...

and has worked with composers such as Gavin Bryars and Hsueh-Yung Shen. He has also worked as a sessions musician with a number of popular artists e.g. Hanus G., Teitur, Ernst Sondum Dalsgard, Runi Brattaberg and Hakan Hagegard as well as Brandenburgische Staatsorchester in Frankfurt, Germany, Icelandic Ensemble

CAPUT A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...

and Danish orchestra

Collegium Musicum The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in Germany, German and German-Switzerland, Swiss cities and towns during the Protestant Reformation, Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century. Generally, whil ...

. Olavur Jakobsen is a sought after arranger and has produced albums for Hanus G., Sunleif Rasmussen and Aldubáran. He co-founded and then formerly served as the artistic director of the Faroese chamber ensemble Aldubáran and now continues as an active musician and board member. Ólavur Jakobsen was an instigator of and from 2005 to 2020 he led and coordinated the Music High School Preparatory Course for gifted music students in the Faroe Islands. In November 2012 he released the first ever Faroese classical guitar album to rave reviews in the international press e.g. Classical Guitar Magazine and Gitarre und Laute. Ólavur Jakobsen currently lives in

Hoyvík Hoyvík ( Danish: ''Højvig'') is a town in the Faroe Islands. It is part of the Tórshavn Municipality, and de facto is merged as a northern suburb of Tórshavn, the Faroese capital. History Hoyvík is believed to be a very old settlement. A ...

near

and is active in promoting Faroese music and touring as a soloist and chamber musician.

Discography

Solo albums

*Awake, my Soul, and Sound your Strings (solo album with Faroese music for guitar), Label TUTL November 201
Discography
*Forever Gone (with Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester) Music by Oli Jogvansson, single-track, Label Baroli Music May 2015

Collaborations

Albums, in which Ólavur Jakobsen has composed, produced, arranged music and/or plays guitar: *Eftir Regnið ( Lív Dam)(1989/HCWTórgarð) *Boreas (1994/Tutl) *Advents- og Jólasálmar ( Ernst S. Dalsgarð) *Surrounded (CAPUT/2003/BIS) *Dedicated ( Aldubáran)(2003/Tutl) *Tú lýsti ( Stiðin/Regin Dahl)(1998/Stiðin) *Nicolina syngur í Sandavágs kirkju (2003/Tutl) *Signaða sól (Sanna í Brekkunum) *Bouquet (

Hanus Hanus may refer to: Places * Hanus, Poland, a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Płaska, within Augustów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship. People Given name *Hanuš Burger (1909-90), Czech film and theatre director *Hanus Kamban (b ...

/ Aldubáran) (2000) *Afturundirgerð ( Aldubáran) *Just Before the Dawn (Corona Guitar Kvartet) *Dámliga Gøtan (Tvey av Kamarinum) *Don Quixotte (Kim Helweg) (Collegium Musicum) *Glóð (Music by Páll Sólstein/ Aldubáran) (2006) *frå leddiken ( Hanus G. Johansen/ Aldubáran) (2006) *Fýra bjarkir (Peter Hentze Niclasen) Works by Britten, Dowland, Restorff, Højgaard and Dahl (2009) Olavurjakobsen.com
/ref> *Dancing Raindrops (

) (2011) *Janus er ein stjørna (Aldubáran) 2011 *Light and Darkness (with Anna Klett, clarinet) Music by Kristian Blak TUTL December 2012 *If you wait (Track 2 on Story Music by Teitur (2013

*Hitt blinda liðið - Music by
Gavin Bryars
2014 *Music from the Faroe Islands 2 (Compilation (Various artists) (2015) TUT

*Lost and Found (With Ensemble Svabonio) (2017) Music by Jens Christian Svabo TUT

*Wasser und Rosen for two guitar (2023) - Music by Per Nørgård - Ólavur Jakobsen and Leif Hesselberg, guitars

References

External links

Official webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakobsen, Olavur 1964 births Living people People from Tórshavn Danish classical guitarists Royal Danish Academy of Music alumni Faroese guitarists Faroese composers