17–23 June, 2008 in Ísafjörður Håkon Austbø, Piano Pekka Kuusisto, Violin 17–23 June, 2008 in Ísafjörður MUSIC FESTIVAL MASTERCLASS MASTERCLASS MUSIC FESTIVAL SUMMER COURSES CONCERT CONCERT SUMMER COURSES The music festival and summer courses as well. There will be an opera workshop, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is one around the world, with pianists Raija Håkon Austbø is professor of piano at In 2003 he received the prestigious Grieg Ísafjörður is a small fishing town in the The mountains are the dominant natural Við Djúpið will be held for the 6th time this led by Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, soprano of the most versatile musicians today. His Kerppo, and Simon the Department of music and Dance, Uni- prize. West Fjords (north west) of Iceland and factor that frame in Ísafjörður on three sides summer, offering series of concerts and and conductor/pianist Kurt Kopecky. international career took off when he Crawford-Phillips and cellist Steven Isserlis. versity of Stavanger, Norway since 2007 His recordings for various labels have is one of the northern-most towns in the where the only escape is the beautiful and VIOLIN master classes around summer solstice as Violinist Una Sveinbjarnardóttir teaches a became the first Finn to win the Sibelius Pekka has shown a great interest and after being based in the Netherlands for PIANO received international acclaim, such as the country with around 3000 inhabitants. vast Atlantic Ocean in the north. During the usually. The lively atmosphere and beautiful chamber music course and pianist Tinna Violin Competition in 1995, at the age of 19. ability to play different styles of music. Folk, more than 30 years, enjoying an extensive recording of the 10 Skryabin sonatas on The first few things that would come winter the latitude of Ísafjörður (66°N) and surroundings help to create a fun and close- Þorsteinsdóttir will teach contemporary Pekka has played widely around the jazz, improvisation, electronic and modern solo career throughout Europe, America SIMAX, acclaimed as a reference recording to the mind of an Icelander, if you ask the mountain circle make the days short and knit community during the festival period in piano playing. The jazz sector features the globe and appeared with many of the music are equally important to him as the and Asia. by Gramophone Magazine and received him what Ísafjörður is all about, are fish, nights with darkness quite long. When the the town of Ísafjörður, where day and night young and inventive Icelandic jazz pianist world´s leading orchestras today under the classical violin. He has concentrated on the Austbø has won many prestigious the Norwegian Grammy award in 1990. In rich music life, skiing, and mountainous sun starts shining again on the town around melt together during mid summer. Davíð Þór Jónsson who will teach piano direction of leading conductors, such as fiddle music of from the 16th and awards. In 1970 he was the first non- 1995 Austbø received the same award for landscape. These four elements have January 25th, people celebrate by baking Distinguished artists from all over improvisation. the Symphonies of Chicago, Alabama and 17th centuries and performs regularly with French to win the ‘Concours National de Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus. shaped Ísafjörður and its habitants for pancakes served with whipped cream. For perform at the festival each day, offering The festival is held in close cooperation Detroit and the Philharmonics of Cleveland the jazz group Trio Tolkyeat. la Guilde Française des Artistes Solistes’ in This recording, part of a NAXOS project centuries. The music tradition has been the same reason the summer day is long in the best of master classes and concerts with the Iceland Academy of the Arts and and Philadelphia. He has also performed Pekka records for the Finnish label Paris, and in 1971 he gained international including the complete Messiaen piano a strong factor in the town since the Ísafjörður and in fact during summer solstice in the evenings with a wide range of the summer courses are accredited by it’s with the orchestras in Stockholm, in the Ondine and his release of Vivaldi´s Four attention when a unanimous jury awarded music, was chosen by Classic CD as the foundation of the first music school in the it never ends. compositions, classical, contemporary, Department of Music. Netherlands, Berlin and Birmingham. Seasons received outstanding critical him the first prize of the Olivier Messiaen best available version of the work. The next country in 1911 and the Ísafjörður Music Facilities are splendid in Ísafjörður jazz and pop/rock. The students also give Information on registration, fees, flights He has worked with conductors such as reviews. Other new recordings include Competition for Contemporary Music in item in this project, the complete Catalogue School has been at the center of it. The for courses, private lessons and concerts. concerts and appearances at the end of the and accommodation are to be found on the Valery Gergiev, Yuri Termirkanov, Vladimir two highly- acclaimed discs of works by Royan, France. He was also prize winner d'Oiseaux coupled with Petites Esquisses school is very active and there is hardly a Ísafjörður Music School, where most of the festival. festival website. Ashkenazy, Osmo Vänskä, Paavo Berglund, Sibelius, the complete Bach violin concertos of the Ravel Competition in Paris in 1975. d'Oiseaux, was awarded the Edison prize family in the town, which hasn’t had kids courses and concerts take place is located in The festival 2008 takes place during the Thomas Dausgaard and Leif Segerstam. and Mozart violin concertos, as well as Austbø received the prize of the Norwegian 1998 for the best solo recording. in the school at one time or another. The the heart of Ísafjörður, as well as the newly period of 17th–23rd of June. A keen performer of chamber music, recordings with Finnish rock– and pop music critics in 1989 and was chosen school’s goal is to provide general music renovated Edinborg House Cultural Center, In the classical department, the artists Pekka has worked with many musicians bands. ‘Performer of the Year’ in Norway in 1992. education and open the wonderful world all within walking distance. who we proudly present are: Pekka Kuusisto, of music to everybody. Several Icelandic violinist and Håkon Austbø, pianist. The 17–23 June, 2008 in Ísafjörður 17–23 June, 2008 in Ísafjörður 17–23 June, 2008 in Ísafjörður professional musicians have started their 17–23 June, 2008 in Ísafjörður program offers other musical activities MUSIC FESTIVAL PEKKA MUSIC FESTIVAL HÅKON MUSIC FESTIVAL education there. MUSIC FESTIVAL SUMMER COURSES SUMMER COURSES SUMMER COURSES SUMMER COURSES

THE FESTIVAL WEBSITE KUUSISTO AUSTBØ THE MAIN TOUR OPERATOR IN www.viddjupid.is ÍSAFJÖRÐUR AND THE WEST FJORDS Una Sveinbjarnardóttir studied at Philharmonie Bonn, Trondheim The Icelandic soprano Hanna Dóra Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and www.westtours.is Musikhochschule Köln with Prof. Gorjan Sinfoniorkester and The Icelandic Opera. Sturludóttir studied in the Reykjavík her concert activities have even led her to ÍSAFJÖRÐUR ROCK FESTIVAL Kosuta after her B.A. degree in Reykjavik Una’s solo album Fyrramál was released Academy of Singing, and at the Hochschule Qatar and Egypt. www.aldrei.is 1995, where her teacher was Mark in 2007 on Bad Taste Ltd., other recordings der Künste in Berlin. She also took classes CD recordings with Hanna Dóra THEATRE FESTIVAL IN ÍSAFJÖRÐUR Reedman. In Cologne she also studied include albums of Björk, Rammstein, Till with teachers like composer Prof. Aribert include Icelandic songs and German Lieder, THE FOLLOWING WEEK Chamber Music with the renowned Alban Brönner, Bonnie Prince Billy, Ane Brun, Reimann and Prof. Dietrich Fischer- two recordings produced by Orpheo in www.actalone.net Berg String Quartet. In 2005 she completed Jóhann Jóhannsson, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Dieskau. Her current teachers are Roberta Berlin (song-cycles by Ernst Krenek and her Konzertexamen degree at Universitaet Mugison and many more. She received Cunningham and Neil Semer. Paul Dessau-Lieder), the Operetta ‘Der der Kunste Berlin with Prof. Thomas Brandis. first prize in Brahms Chamber Music Hanna Dóra has worked in theatres all Sterngucker’ by Lehár and besides that, Una has performed widely in Europe, Competition in Cologne and the Jean-Pierre over Germany; Komische Oper, Berliner live-recordings of ‘Faust’ (Margarete) and USA and Asia and played in chamber Jacquillat scholarship for young musicians Staatsoper, Bonn, Weimar, Kassel and at ‘Otello’ (Desdemona) by Verdi. music recordings for DeutschlandRadio, in 1999. the Hamburg Staatsoper and her opera- In September 2007 Hanna Dóra RAI and Radio France. Una is a member of Currently Una teaches at Reykjavik repertoire includes roles like Fiordiligi, Sturludóttir sang her debut as ‘Ariadne’ at Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra since 1995 College of Music, Nýi Tónlistarskólinn and Agathe, Desdemona, Madame Butterfly and the Icelandic Opera in Reykjavík. and has played with Ensemble Modern Tónlistarskóli Reykjanesbæjar in Iceland. Marie in Berg´s ‘Wozzeck’. She also has a Frankfurt, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester great experience in singing modern music. Berlin, Deutsche Oper, Klangverwaltung The soprano regularly sings concerts Munich, was concertmeister of Klassische and operas in her homeland Iceland, in

VIÐ UNA VIOLIN HANNA DÓRA SOPRANO DJÚPIÐ SVEINBJARNARDÓTTIR STURLUDÓTTIR ÍSAfiÖRÐUR