Hamrarhlíðarkórinn

Hamrarhlíðarkórinn, founded by its conductor Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir in 1967, has been a leading Icelandic choir for four decades now. It consists of young students at Hamrahlíð University in Reykjavík and has become a bit of an institution for singers in the country.

More than 2,000 young Icelanders have learned about classic music through the choir, and many of them have continued in similar vein and become top-class musicians.

Among the more famous names who have sung in the choir are Björk and the composer Haukur Tómasson, both of whom have won the Nordic Council Music Prize, and the bass soloist Kristinn Sigmundsson.

The purpose of the choir always been to put on high quality performances. The choir has gained international recognistion for its pure, flexible and well-balanced sound.

Amongst many international prizes the choir won the first prize in the European Broadcasting Union's competition 'Let the People Sing'. Hamrahlíðarkórinn has toured more than 20 countries around the world and represented Icelandic choral music at several major international choral festivals.

Everywhere they have been, they have received exceptionally good critics. More than 70 works have been composed specially for the choir, and its conductor, including Arvo Pärt's 'which was the son of...' dedicated to the conductor.

As well as just about every Icelandic composer, the choir has also worked with world famous composers like Arvo Pärt, John Cage and Vagn Holmboe. It has also released a large number of CDs.