Music

Stills from the chambre opera Ástin ein taugahrúga, enginn dans við Ufsaklett (Love, a nervous brakedown - no dance at Pollock's cliff)

It all started when I went to a poet’s house for tea. One day I decided to buy a book of poetry as a birthday present for my friend and I thought, why not have it signed? So I contacted the poet, Elísabet Jökulsdóttir, who invited me in for tea. We started chatting and when the she learned that I was a singer she got me to improvise a melody to one of the poems and there we found out that actually this book of poetry was indeed libretto to an opera. The only thing missing was the music but with composer Anna Halldórsdóttir on board that problem was solved. I got Spindrift theatre involved, we were joined by amazing people including Júlía Mogensen the cellist and Bergdís Júlía directed the concert version of the performance for which we were granted artists' salary to produce. Here is what some people had to say about the show: "...Tinna Þorvalds Önnudóttir played the lead, she was excellent and I am over the moon, my heart warmed up and as a result according to the laws of physics expanded. It was wonderful to see and hear my poetry come to life." Elísabet Jökulsdóttir, poet and writer "Love, a nervous brakedown is a haunting piece of work which stayed with me for a long time afterwards. The piece is simultaniously sincere and shocking at the same time as it's an hillarious journey through the entire range of emotions." Eyrún Ósk Jónsdóttir, poet and stage artist "...The staging created a deep connection with the material, with a humorous twist that suits the poems well, and the whole show was characterized by intimacy and warmth." Ólöf Ingólfsdóttir, artist As my way into the world of classical music has been somewhat unique I think that my niche will be new opera driven by curiosity about the genre and it's possiblities. Mixing the classical sound with the joy and experimentation of the fringe theatre. Opera should be storytelling driven by curiosity rather than habit. Because what is opera other than staged music? And within that phrame there are infinite possibilities. How exciting is that?

Stills from a concert with the Amateur Symphonic Orchestra in April 2023

It was an honour to be invited to perform as a soloist with the Amateur Symphonic Orchestra of Iceland. They have had such esteemed soloists and I was very proud to join their ranks. Count orlovsky had fun in a playful performance with the conductor Olvier Kentish, and to hear the divine solo violinist Helga Ragnheiður Óskarsdóttir by my side in Bach's heavenly aria "Erbarme dich" is not to be described with words.

Ég býð mig fram - Nýr heimur (A new world)

"How would you feel about singing with your head coming out of a cake?" "Well, it's my long lost dream - that's what it is!" That's more or less how the conversation went with Director Unnur Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir who was creating the piece New world which was the 4th piece in her series called "I voluteer". Together with an amazing group of people she created new worlds in Tjarnarbíó theatre and in one of them there was an operasinger with her head out of a cake, because why not? I improvised to my surroundings as well as sliding in known arias for mezzo-soprano such as our well beloved Carmen. I loved it.

Opening ceremony

Opening Ceremony was a piece created by Reykjavík Ensemble and directed by Pálína Jónsdóttir at Tjarnarbíó theatre. The theme was "home". What is home? There I lent the Mountain woman my voice and sang Bach's Erbarme dich from St. Mathew's Passion.

Stills from various concerts and recitals