Bára Gísladóttir

Bára Gísladóttir
Background information
Born (1989-11-21) November 21, 1989 (age 35)
Reykjavík, Iceland
GenresContemporary classical, experimental
Occupation(s)Composer, musician
InstrumentDouble bass
Years active2006–present
LabelsDacapo Records, Mengi Records, Sono Luminus
Websitebaragisladottir.com

Bára Gísladóttir (born 1989) is an Icelandic composer and double bassist, based in Copenhagen. She often performs with longtime collaborator Skúli Sverrisson.[1] She is the double bassist of Elja Ensemble. Bára has said that her work is concerned with the qualities of sound.[2]

Biography

[edit]

Born in Reykjavík on 21 November 1989, Bára played the violin from an early age, specialising in double bass from her teens onwards. She studied composition at the Royal Danish Academy of music where she completed a Masters Degree and an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma under the guidance of Niels Rosing-Schow and Jeppe Just Christensen. Prior to that she studied composition at the Milan Conservatory with Gabriele Manca and earned a Bachelors Degree at the Iceland Academy of Arts with Hróðmar I. Sigurbjörnsson and Þuríður Jónsdóttir.

Bára has released four albums. Her debut, Different Rooftops, came out in 2015, and contained works that included voice, electronics, saxophone, and double bass. the 2016 follow-up, B R I M S L Ó Ð, employed double bass and electronics across three movements. A 2017 album entitled Mass for some contained compositions for double bass, electronics, and voice. HĪBER, released in 2020, utilised electronics and double bass. A 2021 release is planned for 'Caeli', a collaboration with Skúli Sverrisson.

Prizes

[edit]

Bára has received the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Foundation’s Talent Awards,[3] the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize,[4] and won the "Shout Out" award at The Reykjavík Grapevine Music Awards.[5] She was nominated at the Icelandic Music Awards[6] in 2019 and 2020 for "piece of the year" and the Carl Prize[7] in 2020 as "Composer of the Year – Chamber Ensemble". In 2022, she was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize.[8] She received the Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize in 2024.[9]

Discography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "From Iceland — Listen Carefully: Bára Gísladóttir & Skúli Sverrisson's Collaborative Bass Odyssey". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 12 April 2019.
  2. ^ "From Iceland — Bára Gísladóttir's Performances Are Full of Surprises". 5 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Bára Gísladóttir hlýtur danska viðurkenningu". RÚV. 20 June 2019.
  4. ^ "From Iceland — Icelandic Composer Bára Gísladóttir Wins Prestigious Léonie Sonning Music Prize". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 6 March 2018.
  5. ^ "From Iceland — Grapevine Music Awards: Shout Out – Alvia & Bára Gísladóttir". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 3 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Icelandic Music Award nominations announced". RÚV. 20 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Composers nominated for Carl Prisen 2020". Edition·S.
  8. ^ "Sóley and Bára Nominated for Nordic Council Music Prize". Iceland Review. 11 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Ernst von Siemens Musikpreis 2024 wird an Unsuk Chin verliehen". miz.org (in German). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
[edit]

 This article incorporates text by Bára Gísladóttir available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license. The text and its release have been received by the Wikimedia Volunteer Response Team; for more information, see the talk page.