Karólína Eiríksdóttir

MagnusMaria is an opera by Karólína Eiríksdóttir (born 1951), written to a libretto by Katarina Gäddnäs. The opera tells a true story from the eighteenth century about Maria Johansdotter / Magnus Johansson, the topic of which concerns human rights – specifically, the right to choose one’s own gender and occupation. It is still a topic of great relevance and resonance today, and Eiríksdóttir's energetic musical language tells this important story in a powerful and expressive way.

Eiríksdóttir studied at the Reykjavik College of Music, where Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson was her teacher of composition. She continued her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, with George Wilson and William Albright as teachers of composition, and received Master’s degrees in composition, music history and musicology. She has been active on the Icelandic music scene as a composer and teacher since 1979.