Organsummer in Hallgrímskirkja - Final Concert 2022

Björn Steinar Sólbergsson, organist and music-director of Hallgrímskirkja - Reykjavík was born in Akranes, western Iceland in 1961. In 1981 he completed his studies at the National Church School of Music, majoring the organ, before studying for a year in Rome with James E. Goëttsche. Björn Steinar then moved to France where he studied with Susan Landale at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Rueil Malmaison and received the Prix de Virtuosité in summer of 1986.

The same year he was appointeded organist in Akureyri Church, north Iceland, where he became very active in the musiclife of Akureyri.

In atumn 2006 he was appointed organist in Hallgrímschurch in Reykjavík. He is also headmaster of the National Church School of Music in Reykjavík.

Björn Steinar plays organ-music from all periods as well as Icelandic organ- music and arrangements of Scandinavican folk-songs and dances.

His recordings of organ and choirmusic have been released on several CD´s and broadcasted on Icelandic State Radio and TV.

He received the DV- Cultural-prize for the year 1999, Icelandic Optimism-prize in 2001 and he is The Akureyri Artist of the year 2002. Artist honorar salary in 1999 and 2015.

Björn Steinar has given concerts all over Europe, in USA, Canada and all Scandinavian countries and performed as a soloist with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the Akureyri Chamber Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra.

The singing group Cantores Islandiae was founded in Reykjavík in the fall of 2018 by Ágúst Ingi Ágústsson and Gísli Jóhann Grétarsson. In their project selection the group emphasizes on but is not limited to performing Gregorian chant. Ágúst Ingi worked as an organist at the Catholic Church in Hafnarfjörður 1993-2000 and was the conductor of the Gregorian choir Cantores Iutlandiae in Denmark from 2011-2017.