Organ Summer at Hallgrímskirkja 2026 – Elísabet Þórðardóttir and Hulda Jónsdóttir

Organ Summer in Hallgrímskirkja 2026

 Saturday August 15th at 12hrs

 Elizabeth Thordardottir organ, Laugarnes Church, Reykjavik

 Hulda Jonsdottir violin

 Admission ISK 3,200

 Elizabeth Thordardottir graduated in piano performance from the New Music School in 2001, where her teachers included Ragnar Björnsson and Rögnvaldur Sigurjónsson. From 2001 to 2004, she pursued advanced studies in piano performance at the Musikhochschule Luzern in Switzerland.

 In 2012, Elísabet began studies at the Tónskóli Þjóðkirkjunnar, graduating with a cantor's diploma in 2017 and completing a soloist diploma in 2018 under the guidance of Björn Steinar Sólbergsson.

 She currently serves as organist at Laugarneskirkja and works as a piano teacher and accompanist at the Hafnarfjörður Music School.

 Violinist Hulda Jonsdottir serves as principal second violin of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Born in 1991, she began violin studies in Reykjavík at the age of four. In 2009, she completed a diploma degree at the Iceland University of the Arts under the guidance of Guðný Guðmundsdóttir, and later that year she began her studies at The Juilliard School in New York.

 She studied there for six years with Robert Mann, David Chan, and Laurie Smukler, earning a Master of Music degree from Juilliard in 2015. Following her studies, Hulda worked in Germany, including a season with Ensemble Resonanz, resident ensemble of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, as well as engagements with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg. She has also appeared as a guest musician with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

 Since 2018, Hulda has been based in Copenhagen, where she holds a permanent position with Det Kongelige Kapel from 2018 to 2024. As a guest leader, she has performed as assistant concertmaster with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane. During the 2024–2025 season, she also served as assistant concertmaster of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, leading the orchestra in several subscription concerts.

 In 2024–2025, Hulda completed advanced studies at the Accademia Stauffer in Cremona, Italy, where she studied with leading concertmasters from orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. During her studies, she won the academy competition to perform the solo part in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante under the direction of Kolja Blacher.

 As a soloist and chamber musician, Hulda has twice appeared as a soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Alongside her orchestral work, she performs with the string quintet Wooden Elephant, an ensemble specializing in arrangements and collaborations beyond the classical tradition. The group has gained international recognition and performed at prestigious venues and festivals including the Verbier Festival, the chamber music hall of the Concertgebouw, Dronningesalen at the Black Diamond in Copenhagen, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Brucknerhaus Linz, and the Days Off Festival at the Philharmonie de Paris.

 The ensemble has also collaborated with Ballet am Rhein and choreographer Gil Harush, performed broadcast concerts for Bayerischer Rundfunk, and recently released a recording with the American artist Moor Mother and the Beethovenorchester Bonn, which received a nomination for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik award.

 HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA – YOUR PLACE IN REYKJAVÍK